CVE-2017-9002 in ClearPass
Summary
by MITRE
All versions of Aruba ClearPass prior to 6.6.8 contain reflected cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker who can trick a logged-in ClearPass administrative user into clicking a link could obtain sensitive information, such as session cookies or passwords. The vulnerability requires that an administrative users click on the malicious link while currently logged into ClearPass in the same browser.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2020
The CVE-2017-9002 vulnerability represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager software versions prior to 6.6.8. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a reflected XSS attack vector that exploits the web application's failure to properly sanitize user input before reflecting it back to the browser. The vulnerability exists within the administrative interface of ClearPass, which is designed to manage network access control policies and authentication services for enterprise networks. The flaw allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages that are then executed in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially compromising the security of the entire network infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an attacker to craft a malicious URL containing malicious JavaScript code and trick a currently authenticated administrative user into clicking the link. This attack vector is particularly dangerous because it leverages the trust relationship between the user and the ClearPass administrative interface, requiring only social engineering to succeed. When the administrative user clicks the malicious link, the web application reflects the attacker-controlled script back to the browser, where it executes in the context of the logged-in user's session. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload is not stored on the server but is instead delivered through the HTTP request itself, making it difficult to detect through traditional security scanning methods. The attack is further constrained by the requirement that the victim must be actively logged into ClearPass within the same browser session, which limits the attack surface but does not eliminate the risk.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as successful exploitation could lead to complete administrative account compromise and unauthorized access to network policies and user credentials. Attackers could potentially steal session cookies to hijack administrative sessions, obtain sensitive information such as passwords stored in browser caches, or even execute arbitrary commands on the ClearPass server if additional vulnerabilities exist. The vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and could enable attackers to modify network access policies, potentially allowing unauthorized users to gain network access or disrupt legitimate network operations. This represents a significant threat to enterprise network security since ClearPass administrators typically have elevated privileges and access to critical network infrastructure components. The vulnerability also poses a risk to the integrity of the authentication and authorization processes that ClearPass manages, potentially compromising the entire network security posture.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to ClearPass version 6.6.8 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to address the reflected XSS vulnerability. Network administrators should also implement additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious XSS payloads, implement strict input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploy security awareness training to prevent social engineering attacks that could lead to successful exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies that protect against both known and unknown threats. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar issues in other network infrastructure components, as reflected XSS vulnerabilities often indicate broader input validation weaknesses within web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1212 technique of Exploitation for Credential Access, highlighting the potential for credential theft and privilege escalation that can result from such vulnerabilities in enterprise network management systems.