CVE-2017-3888 in Unified Communications Manager
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Communications Manager could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to conduct a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web-based management interface of an affected device. This vulnerability affects Cisco Unified Communications Manager with a default configuration running an affected software release with the attacker authenticated as the administrative user. More Information: CSCvc83712. Known Affected Releases: 12.0(0.98000.452). Known Fixed Releases: 12.0(0.98000.750) 12.0(0.98000.708) 12.0(0.98000.707) 12.0(0.98000.704) 12.0(0.98000.554) 12.0(0.98000.546) 12.0(0.98000.543) 12.0(0.98000.248) 12.0(0.98000.244) 12.0(0.98000.242).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2017-3888 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cisco Unified Communications Manager's web-based management interface. This security weakness specifically targets the administrative user authentication layer, creating a pathway for authenticated remote attackers to execute malicious scripts against legitimate users. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web interface components that process user-supplied data. Attackers leveraging this flaw can craft malicious payloads that get reflected back to victims through the web application's response, enabling unauthorized code execution in the context of the victim's browser session. The affected software version 12.0(0.98000.452) demonstrates a fundamental failure in sanitizing user inputs before rendering them in web responses, creating persistent XSS vectors that can be exploited by malicious actors with administrative credentials.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability follows standard reflected XSS attack patterns where malicious input is embedded into web requests and then reflected back to the user's browser without proper sanitization. The attack requires an authenticated administrative user session, which significantly reduces the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk entirely since administrative credentials are often more valuable targets. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness where untrusted data is used in web applications without proper validation or encoding. The attack vector operates through the web-based management interface, making it particularly dangerous as it targets the administrative control plane of the communication system. The reflected nature of the attack means that the malicious payload must be crafted to match the specific input parameters of the vulnerable web application, requiring attackers to understand the application's request/response handling mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the capability to manipulate the administrative interface and potentially access sensitive system information. Administrative users with elevated privileges could be tricked into executing malicious scripts that might steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability's presence in the default configuration means that organizations running affected releases are immediately at risk without any additional configuration changes. This creates a significant risk for enterprise communication systems where the unified communications manager serves as a central management point for voice and video services. The impact on business continuity is substantial since attackers could potentially disrupt communication services or gain unauthorized access to confidential business communications. Organizations using Cisco Unified Communications Manager in production environments face potential data breaches and service disruptions if this vulnerability remains unpatched.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3888 require immediate deployment of the patched software releases identified by Cisco, specifically versions 12.0(0.98000.750) through 12.0(0.98000.242. The implementation of network segmentation and access controls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, limiting the potential scope of exploitation. Organizations should also implement enhanced monitoring of web application traffic for suspicious patterns and ensure that administrative access is protected through multi-factor authentication. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter indicates that attackers may leverage this vulnerability as part of broader exploitation chains. Regular security assessments of web applications and input validation mechanisms should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. Network administrators should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to detect and prevent XSS attacks. The patching process should be prioritized at the highest level due to the administrative privilege escalation potential and the default configuration exposure, ensuring that all affected systems receive updates promptly to prevent exploitation.