CVE-2016-2954 in Connections
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI in IBM Connections 5.0 before CR4 and 5.5 before CR1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-2956 and CVE-2016-3008.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2954 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the web user interface of IBM Connections versions 5.0 prior to CR4 and 5.5 prior to CR1. This security weakness falls under the category of CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into web pages. The vulnerability affects authenticated users who can leverage this flaw to inject malicious scripts or HTML content into the application's web interface, potentially compromising the security of the entire system.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the IBM Connections web application. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are then executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. The vulnerability operates through unspecified vectors that differ from related vulnerabilities CVE-2016-2956 and CVE-2016-3008, indicating a distinct code path or input handling mechanism. This particular flaw allows authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML content, which can result in session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a variety of malicious activities within the compromised environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially escalate privileges, access sensitive user data, or manipulate the application's functionality. The authenticated nature of the attack means that the attacker must already have valid credentials, but this does not significantly reduce the risk since legitimate users may be tricked into executing malicious payloads or the attacker may have obtained credentials through other means. The vulnerability affects the web user interface specifically, making it particularly dangerous as it can compromise user sessions and potentially allow for broader system infiltration.
Organizations utilizing IBM Connections 5.0 or 5.5 should implement immediate mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves applying the relevant cumulative releases CR4 for version 5.0 and CR1 for version 5.5 to remediate the XSS flaw. Additionally, organizations should implement proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and maintain updated threat intelligence to identify potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 - Phishing, as attackers may use the XSS capability to deliver malicious payloads or conduct social engineering attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while maintaining comprehensive security awareness training for users to recognize potential phishing or social engineering attempts that could leverage this vulnerability.