CVE-2017-9298 in Device Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Hitachi Device Manager before 8.5.2-01 and Hitachi Replication Manager before 8.5.2-00 allows authenticated remote users to execute arbitrary JavaScript code.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/03/2020
The CVE-2017-9298 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Hitachi Device Manager and Hitachi Replication Manager software versions prior to 8.5.2-01 and 8.5.2-00 respectively. This vulnerability resides in the web-based administrative interfaces of these storage management systems, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on Hitachi storage solutions. The flaw allows authenticated remote attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into the application's web interface, potentially compromising the entire system. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects enterprise storage management tools that are often accessible over networks and may contain sensitive operational data.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application's user interface components. When authenticated users interact with the affected systems, malicious JavaScript code can be executed in the context of other users' browsers who access the same management interface. This occurs due to improper sanitization of user-supplied input parameters that are then reflected back to users without adequate HTML escaping or context-appropriate encoding. The vulnerability is classified as a persistent XSS flaw since the malicious code can be stored within the application and executed whenever affected pages are accessed by other authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the compromised environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized administrative actions, redirect users to malicious websites, or even escalate privileges within the storage management environment. The affected systems typically handle critical storage operations and may contain sensitive information about storage configurations, access controls, and data placement strategies. This makes the vulnerability particularly attractive to threat actors targeting enterprise storage infrastructure, as it could potentially lead to data exfiltration or storage system compromise.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches for Hitachi Device Manager 8.5.2-01 and Hitachi Replication Manager 8.5.2-00 to remediate this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of these management interfaces to only authorized personnel. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in software applications, and it maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1071 for application layer protocol. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous JavaScript injection patterns in web traffic, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise storage management systems.