CVE-2017-6725 in Prime Infrastructure
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the web framework code of Cisco Prime Infrastructure could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack against a user of the web interface of an affected system. More Information: CSCuw65833 CSCuw65837. Known Affected Releases: 2.2(2).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-6725 resides within the web framework implementation of Cisco Prime Infrastructure version 2.2(2) and represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that enables unauthenticated remote attackers to execute malicious scripts against unsuspecting users. This vulnerability specifically targets the web interface of the affected system, creating a dangerous attack vector that could compromise user sessions and potentially lead to unauthorized access to sensitive network management functions. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's codebase, allowing malicious payloads to be injected and executed in the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of user-supplied input parameters that are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web pages. When an attacker crafts malicious input and submits it to the affected web interface, the system fails to adequately encode or validate this data, resulting in the execution of malicious scripts within the victim's browser context. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where applications fail to properly validate or encode user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by its remote nature, requiring no authentication credentials from the attacker, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise network management systems where administrators frequently interact with web interfaces.
The operational implications of CVE-2017-6725 extend beyond simple script execution, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation within the network management environment. Network administrators who access the Cisco Prime Infrastructure web interface become potential victims of this attack, as the malicious scripts could steal authentication cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or even modify network configuration data through the compromised interface. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of network management operations, potentially allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical network infrastructure information and configuration details that should remain protected within the secure administrative environment.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing web application firewalls to filter malicious payloads, and conducting thorough security assessments of their web applications. The remediation process should involve comprehensive testing to ensure that input validation mechanisms are properly implemented and that all user-supplied data is appropriately sanitized before processing. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to address cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in enterprise network management systems. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing proper input validation as fundamental defense mechanisms against web-based attacks. The attack surface created by this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 which describes the use of scripting languages for execution, and T1566 which covers social engineering techniques that leverage web-based attack vectors to compromise user sessions and network management interfaces.