CVE-2016-2081 in vRealize Log Insight
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in VMware vRealize Log Insight 2.x and 3.x before 3.3.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2081 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in VMware vRealize Log Insight versions 2.x and 3.x prior to 3.3.2. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security flaws. The affected VMware product is a log management and analytics platform that aggregates, correlates, and analyzes log data from various sources within enterprise environments. The vulnerability exists in the web interface of the application, making it accessible to remote attackers who can exploit it without requiring authentication or physical access to the system.
The technical nature of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the vRealize Log Insight web application. Attackers can leverage this weakness by injecting malicious scripts or HTML code through unspecified vectors within the application's user interface. These vectors likely include form fields, URL parameters, or any input handling mechanisms that process user-supplied data without proper sanitization. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple major versions of the product, indicating a fundamental flaw in the input handling architecture that was not properly addressed across the software lifecycle. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that the vulnerability may exist across multiple input points within the application's web interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations using affected versions of VMware vRealize Log Insight. Remote attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can execute arbitrary web scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized access to sensitive log data. The attack could result in data exfiltration from the log management system, where attackers might steal log files containing sensitive information such as user credentials, system configurations, or security event data. Additionally, the compromised system could be used as a stepping stone for further attacks within the network, as attackers might gain access to other systems through stolen session tokens or by leveraging the compromised log insight system to monitor and analyze network traffic.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary and most effective mitigation is to upgrade to VMware vRealize Log Insight version 3.3.2 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the XSS vulnerability. System administrators should also implement web application firewalls and input validation measures to provide additional protection layers. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and monitor network traffic for suspicious activities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1566 - Phishing and T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers might use the XSS vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads or establish persistent access through infected user sessions. Organizations should also consider implementing security awareness training for administrators to recognize potential social engineering attempts that might accompany such attacks.