CVE-2016-3003 in Connections
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI in IBM Connections 4.x through 4.5 CR5, 5.0 before CR4, and 5.5 before CR1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an embedded string, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3001 and CVE-2016-3006.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3003 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the web user interface of IBM Connections software across multiple versions including 4.x through 4.5 CR5, 5.0 before CR4, and 5.5 before CR1. This security weakness specifically affects authenticated users who can leverage the vulnerability to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the application's interface. The flaw operates by allowing attackers to embed strings that get processed and rendered without proper sanitization, creating an avenue for malicious code execution within the context of the victim's browser session.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness where input data is not properly validated or escaped before being rendered in web pages. The specific nature of this flaw differs from related vulnerabilities CVE-2016-3001 and CVE-2016-3006, indicating distinct code paths or input handling mechanisms that make the exploitation possible. The authenticated nature of the attack means that users must already have valid credentials to the IBM Connections system, though this does not significantly reduce the risk as it still enables persistent malicious activities within the application environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-3003 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, privilege escalation, and redirection to malicious websites. When authenticated users interact with the vulnerable application interface, the injected scripts can execute in their browser context, potentially accessing sensitive data, modifying user profiles, or gaining unauthorized access to other system resources. The vulnerability particularly affects collaborative environments where users frequently interact with shared content and user interface elements, making the attack surface more extensive than typical XSS scenarios.
Organizations utilizing IBM Connections in versions affected by CVE-2016-3003 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and updates released to address this vulnerability. Network segmentation and monitoring of user activities within the application can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be strengthened throughout the application to prevent similar vulnerabilities from occurring in the future. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques for defending against web application vulnerabilities and maintaining secure coding practices across all application components.