CVE-2016-5061 in Aternity
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web server in Aternity 9 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) HTTPAgent, (2) MacAgent, (3) getExternalURL, or (4) retrieveTrustedUrl page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/12/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5061 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Aternity versions 9 and earlier. This vulnerability resides within the web server component of the Aternity monitoring platform, which is widely used for performance monitoring and analytics in enterprise environments. The affected system components include HTTPAgent, MacAgent, getExternalURL, and retrieveTrustedUrl pages, all of which process user input without adequate sanitization or validation mechanisms. These web pages serve as entry points for remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of authenticated user sessions, potentially compromising the entire monitoring infrastructure and the data it handles.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the web server implementation. When the affected pages process user-supplied data through the specified endpoints, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that execute in the browser context of legitimate users who access these vulnerable pages. The vulnerability manifests as a classic reflected cross-site scripting issue where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user without proper encoding, enabling attackers to execute arbitrary scripts in the victim's browser session.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5061 extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive monitoring data and system functionalities. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or inject persistent scripts that could compromise the monitoring platform's integrity. Given that Aternity is typically deployed in enterprise environments where it monitors critical business applications and infrastructure, the compromise of this system could lead to significant data exposure and operational disruption. The vulnerability affects the web server's ability to maintain secure communication channels and could potentially allow attackers to escalate privileges within the monitoring environment.
Security mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of the affected Aternity versions to address the input validation flaws. Organizations should implement proper output encoding mechanisms across all web server endpoints to ensure that user-supplied data cannot be interpreted as executable code. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of vulnerable components. Additionally, implementing content security policies and regular security scanning of web applications can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the technique of web shell execution through compromised web applications.