CVE-2017-3845 in Prime Collaboration Assurance
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web-based management interface of an affected device. Affected Products: Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance software versions 11.0, 11.1, and 11.5 are vulnerable. Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance software versions prior to 11.0 are not vulnerable. More Information: CSCvc77783. Known Affected Releases: 11.5(0).
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/25/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3845 resides within Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance, a critical component of Cisco's collaboration infrastructure that provides monitoring and management capabilities for voice and video communication systems. This web-based management interface serves as a central hub for administrators to oversee network performance and troubleshoot issues across unified communications deployments. The flaw represents a significant security weakness that could be exploited by malicious actors without requiring authentication credentials, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where such interfaces are frequently accessed by multiple users. The affected software versions 11.0, 11.1, and 11.5 create a window of exposure where organizations utilizing these specific releases face potential compromise through client-side attacks targeting the web interface.
The technical implementation of this cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application's user interface components. When the application processes user-supplied data through the management interface without proper sanitization, it fails to adequately escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This weakness allows an attacker to inject malicious scripts that execute within the context of a victim's browser session, leveraging the trusted relationship between the user and the web application. The vulnerability specifically affects parameters or input fields within the web interface where user data is rendered back to the browser without appropriate security measures, creating an environment where attacker-controlled content can be executed with the privileges of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform various malicious activities that could severely compromise network security and user privacy. An unauthenticated attacker could exploit this weakness to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify interface elements to deceive users, or even inject additional malicious code that could persist across multiple user sessions. The implications are particularly concerning for organizations using Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance, as this tool often contains sensitive network information, configuration details, and performance metrics that could be leveraged for further attacks. The vulnerability undermines the security posture of the entire collaboration infrastructure, potentially enabling attackers to escalate their privileges or gain unauthorized access to underlying network resources.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies focusing on both immediate remediation and long-term security hardening measures. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to Cisco Prime Collaboration Assurance software versions that have been patched to address this specific XSS vulnerability, ensuring that all affected systems are updated to the latest secure releases. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the web interface to untrusted networks, while implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Additionally, regular security assessments should include thorough testing of web application interfaces for similar vulnerabilities, with security teams establishing monitoring protocols to detect anomalous activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a typical entry point for attackers following ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution within web browsers, demonstrating how seemingly minor input validation gaps can create substantial security risks in enterprise management interfaces.