CVE-2016-5975 in Tealeaf Customer Experience
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI in the web portal in IBM Tealeaf Customer Experience before 8.7.1.8847 FP10, 8.8 before 8.8.0.9049 FP9, 9.0.0 and 9.0.1 before 9.0.1.1117 FP5, 9.0.1A before 9.0.1.5108_9.0.1A FP5, 9.0.2 before 9.0.2.1223 FP3, and 9.0.2A before 9.0.2.5224_9.0.2A FP3 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via an embedded string, a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-5978.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5975 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the web user interface of IBM Tealeaf Customer Experience software across multiple version ranges. This security weakness affects the web portal component that serves as the primary interface for users to interact with the customer experience analytics platform. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the handling of embedded strings within the web portal's user interface, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web portal's rendering engine. When authenticated users interact with the system and encounter certain embedded string parameters, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content. This processing gap allows attackers to inject malicious scripts or HTML code that gets executed when other users view the affected content. The vulnerability operates as a reflected XSS attack vector, where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user's browser without adequate sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to compromise authenticated user sessions and potentially access sensitive customer experience data. Attackers can leverage this flaw to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or modify the web interface to display fraudulent content. The vulnerability affects all authenticated users within the system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or external attackers who have obtained valid credentials. Given that Tealeaf Customer Experience systems typically process sensitive customer interaction data, the potential for data exfiltration or system compromise is significant.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of IBM Tealeaf Customer Experience should prioritize immediate remediation through official IBM patches and updates. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions including 8.7.1, 8.8, 9.0.0, 9.0.1, 9.0.1A, 9.0.2, and 9.0.2A, requiring careful version management and patch deployment across all affected systems. Security teams should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider temporary access restrictions for the web portal during patching operations. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to credential access through phishing and social engineering methods. Organizations should also review their input validation policies and implement comprehensive output encoding measures to prevent similar vulnerabilities in custom web applications and third-party integrations.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure input handling in web applications and the potential for authenticated XSS attacks to escalate into more severe security incidents. The affected IBM Tealeaf products are commonly deployed in enterprise environments where customer experience data is highly sensitive, making proper patch management and security hardening essential for maintaining system integrity and protecting against unauthorized access to valuable customer interaction analytics.