CVE-2016-9126 in Adserver
Summary
by MITRE
Revive Adserver before 3.2.3 suffers from persistent XSS. Usernames are not properly escaped when displayed in the audit trail widget of the dashboard upon login, allowing persistent XSS attacks. An authenticated user with enough privileges to create other users could exploit the vulnerability to access the administrator account.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/22/2022
The CVE-2016-9126 vulnerability affects Revive Adserver versions prior to 3.2.3 and represents a critical persistent cross-site scripting flaw within the administrative dashboard interface. This vulnerability specifically manifests in the audit trail widget that displays user activities upon login, where usernames are not properly sanitized or escaped before being rendered in the web interface. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that persist across user sessions, making it particularly dangerous for administrative environments where sensitive operations are logged and displayed.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated user with sufficient privileges to create new user accounts, typically an administrator or power user role. Once such a user creates a malicious username containing crafted XSS payloads, the script executes whenever the audit trail widget displays information about that user. This persistent nature means the malicious code executes every time the dashboard loads, potentially allowing attackers to hijack sessions, steal credentials, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, specifically targeting the failure to properly escape user-controllable data in web contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides a pathway for privilege escalation attacks. An attacker who successfully injects malicious code through a crafted username can potentially escalate their privileges to administrator level, especially when combined with the fact that the vulnerable application allows user creation by authenticated users with appropriate permissions. The audit trail widget serves as a persistent attack vector since it is displayed upon every login, ensuring that malicious scripts execute repeatedly. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell, as attackers can leverage the persistent nature of the flaw to establish long-term access and execute malicious commands through the compromised administrative interface.
Organizations using Revive Adserver versions prior to 3.2.3 should immediately implement security patches and updates to address this vulnerability. The fix involves proper input sanitization and output escaping of user-controllable data before rendering in web interfaces, particularly in administrative dashboard components. Additionally, implementing proper access controls and privilege separation can mitigate the impact of such vulnerabilities, ensuring that user creation privileges are restricted to only essential administrative personnel. Network monitoring should also be enhanced to detect unusual user creation patterns or suspicious activity in administrative interfaces, as these may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output escaping in web applications, particularly those handling administrative functions where privilege escalation risks are elevated.