CVE-2016-6046 in Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2020
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security flaw in the web-based user interface. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input within web pages, specifically allowing malicious actors to inject JavaScript code that executes in the context of authenticated sessions. The flaw enables attackers to manipulate the intended functionality of the web application by leveraging the trust relationship between users and the system. According to CWE-79, this vulnerability falls under the category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a common web application security weakness that permits attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the trusted session context, meaning that any malicious script injected can potentially access sensitive data and credentials that are normally protected by session authentication mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the web application fails to properly sanitize or encode user input before rendering it in web pages. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that when executed in a victim's browser can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, capturing keystrokes, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The operational impact extends beyond simple data theft, as the vulnerability can be leveraged to perform privilege escalation attacks within the trusted environment. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1531 for credential access through session hijacking. The attack surface is broad since any user interface element that accepts user input and displays it without proper sanitization can serve as an entry point for malicious script injection. The web-based nature of the Operations Center makes it particularly susceptible to these attacks as users frequently interact with the system through browsers, creating multiple potential attack vectors for exploitation.
Organizations utilizing IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center face significant operational risks from this vulnerability, including potential unauthorized access to critical storage management functions and data exposure. The impact on business continuity can be severe as attackers could manipulate storage configurations, access backup data, or disrupt storage operations. The vulnerability's ability to operate within trusted sessions means that attackers do not need to bypass authentication mechanisms, but can instead exploit the trust already established between users and the application. Security teams must consider that this vulnerability could be used in conjunction with other attack vectors to create more sophisticated threats, such as credential theft followed by lateral movement within the storage infrastructure. The remediation process requires immediate patching of the web application components, but organizations should also implement additional security controls such as content security policies and input validation measures. Regular security assessments and user awareness training become critical defensive measures to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities in the broader storage management ecosystem.