CVE-2017-9394 in Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
A stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in CA Identity Governance 12.6 allows remote authenticated attackers to display HTML or execute script in the context of another user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/23/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9394 represents a critical stored cross-site scripting flaw within CA Identity Governance version 12.6, a widely deployed identity management solution. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input within its web interface, specifically affecting how the system processes and stores user-supplied data that is later rendered to other users. The flaw enables attackers who have already established legitimate authentication credentials to inject malicious scripts into the application's data storage mechanisms, which then execute when other users view the affected content. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in identity governance platforms where privileged users frequently interact with sensitive data and system interfaces.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws as weaknesses in web applications that allow attackers to inject client-side scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The stored aspect of this vulnerability means that the malicious payload is permanently stored on the server and executed whenever the affected page is accessed, rather than being transmitted through a single request. This characteristic significantly amplifies the potential impact as the malicious code can affect multiple users over an extended period. The vulnerability specifically impacts the user interface components where user-generated content is displayed, particularly in contexts where administrative or sensitive identity data is managed.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations using CA Identity Governance 12.6, as it allows attackers to escalate privileges and potentially compromise entire identity management systems. An authenticated attacker can inject scripts that may steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute arbitrary commands within the context of other users' sessions. This capability directly threatens the integrity and confidentiality of identity governance operations, potentially enabling attackers to assume administrative roles, modify user permissions, or access sensitive identity information. The attack vector requires only legitimate authentication credentials, making it particularly concerning as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised accounts.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2017-9394 should focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's data processing pipeline. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being stored and rendered, implementing Content Security Policy headers, and applying the principle of least privilege to limit the scope of potential damage. Additionally, regular security assessments and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the identity governance platform. The remediation efforts should also include monitoring for suspicious user activities and implementing proper access controls to prevent unauthorized modifications to system data. Organizations using this software should urgently apply the vendor-provided security patches and consider implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities within their infrastructure.