CVE-2016-9704 in Security Identity Manager Virtual Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Manager Virtual Appliance 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 • 11/11/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9704 affects the IBM Security Identity Manager Virtual Appliance, a critical component in enterprise identity management systems that provides authentication and access control services. This particular flaw represents a significant security weakness that undermines the integrity of the web-based user interface and compromises the confidentiality of sensitive information. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the appliance's web interface, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application's response.
This cross-site scripting vulnerability operates through the exploitation of insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input data within the web application's interface. When users interact with the virtual appliance's web UI, the system fails to properly validate or encode data entered by users, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of other users' sessions. The vulnerability specifically affects the appliance's web-based administrative interface where users can perform various configuration and management tasks. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious input that, when processed by the application, gets executed in the victim's browser, potentially enabling session hijacking and credential theft.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can lead to complete compromise of the identity management system. When attackers successfully inject JavaScript code into the web interface, they can manipulate the application's behavior to capture authentication credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive information transmitted within trusted sessions. This creates a persistent threat vector where malicious actors can maintain access to the compromised system and potentially escalate privileges to gain broader access to enterprise networks. The vulnerability particularly affects the appliance's ability to maintain secure session management and user authentication integrity, undermining the fundamental security posture of the identity management infrastructure.
Security practitioners should recognize this vulnerability as a classic example of CWE-79, which represents cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, specifically focusing on the initial access phase through malicious web content. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls, regular security updates, and monitoring for suspicious activities in the appliance's web interface. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper input sanitization in web applications, particularly in security-critical systems where credential compromise could lead to widespread network infiltration. Organizations using this appliance should prioritize patch management and consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and network segmentation to reduce the attack surface and limit potential damage from successful exploitation attempts.