CVE-2016-5944 in Spectrum Control
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI in IBM Spectrum Control (formerly Tivoli Storage Productivity Center) 5.2.x before 5.2.11 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an embedded string.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2019
The vulnerability CVE-2016-5944 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in IBM Spectrum Control's web user interface, formerly known as Tivoli Storage Productivity Center version 5.2.x prior to 5.2.11. This security weakness resides within the application's web interface handling of user input, specifically when processing embedded strings that are not properly sanitized or validated. The vulnerability affects authenticated users who can leverage this flaw to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' sessions, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data or system compromise.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's user interface components. When authenticated users interact with the system and provide input containing malicious script code, the application fails to adequately sanitize these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content that executes in the victim's browser context. The vulnerability specifically manifests when embedded strings are processed without proper contextual output encoding, creating an attack surface where malicious payloads can be stored and subsequently executed during normal user interactions with the web interface.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive storage management functions and data within the IBM Spectrum Control environment. An authenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform actions on behalf of legitimate users, access confidential storage configurations, or manipulate storage operations. The attack requires authentication, which limits the scope to users who already have legitimate access to the system, but this still represents a significant privilege escalation risk. The vulnerability affects organizations managing storage infrastructure through IBM Spectrum Control, potentially compromising the integrity of storage management operations and data protection mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5944 should prioritize immediate implementation of the vendor-provided security patches and updates for IBM Spectrum Control version 5.2.11 or later. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation controls, output encoding mechanisms, and web application firewalls to detect and prevent malicious script injection attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of the web interface components and establish monitoring procedures to detect unusual user behavior or injection attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which classifies cross-site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications, and may map to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to spearphishing attachments and links. Regular security awareness training for administrators and implementing principle of least privilege access controls can further reduce the risk exposure associated with this vulnerability.