CVE-2016-3005 in Connections
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI in IBM Connections 4.0 through CR4, 4.5 through CR5, 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-2016-2995, CVE-2016-2997, and CVE-2016-3010.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3005 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the web user interface of IBM Connections software across multiple versions including 4.0 through CR4, 4.5 through CR5, 5.0 before CR4, and 5.5 before CR1. This security weakness falls under the category of CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities, where improper input validation allows malicious code execution within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who can leverage this flaw to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's web interface, potentially compromising user sessions and data confidentiality.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the web user interface components of IBM Connections. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors to execute malicious scripts that persist within the application's interface. This allows for various attack scenarios including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration from authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where privileged users interact with the system regularly.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations utilizing IBM Connections as their collaboration platform. The ability for authenticated users to inject malicious scripts means that compromised accounts can be leveraged to attack other users within the same system, potentially leading to widespread session compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive business information. The attack surface is expanded through the persistence of malicious scripts within the application interface, which can affect multiple users depending on how the vulnerable components are utilized within the collaboration environment. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of data shared through the platform, potentially affecting business continuity and regulatory compliance requirements.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and fixes released for this vulnerability, which would typically involve input validation improvements and output encoding mechanisms. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual script injection patterns within the application logs. Access controls should be reviewed to ensure least privilege principles are maintained, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the broader application ecosystem. The remediation process should align with industry best practices for XSS prevention as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, particularly focusing on proper input validation and output encoding techniques. Additionally, security awareness training should be conducted to educate users about recognizing potential XSS attack vectors and the importance of maintaining secure authentication practices.