CVE-2018-0400 in Unified Contact Center Express
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Contact Center Express (Unified CCX) could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to conduct cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against a user of the interface. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg70904.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/18/2023
The vulnerability described in CVE-2018-0400 represents a critical security flaw within Cisco Unified Contact Center Express web interface that exposes organizations to significant cross-site scripting attacks. This issue affects the web-based management interface of the Unified CCX platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise contact center environments where customer service operations are managed. The vulnerability specifically allows unauthenticated remote attackers to execute malicious scripts against users interacting with the web interface, creating a substantial risk to organizational security infrastructure and user data protection.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding within the web interface components of Cisco Unified CCX. When users access the management interface to perform administrative tasks, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web pages. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through various input fields or parameters that are subsequently executed in the context of the victim's browser session. The flaw operates as a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability where the attacker can manipulate the application's behavior to execute arbitrary code in the victim's browser, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or further exploitation of the compromised user's privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates opportunities for attackers to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive customer data and system configurations. Organizations using Cisco Unified CCX are particularly vulnerable since the interface is designed for administrative access to critical contact center operations, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to disrupt business operations or extract valuable information. The unauthenticated nature of the attack means that no prior credentials are required to exploit this vulnerability, significantly increasing the attack surface and making it particularly dangerous for organizations that may not have robust network segmentation or monitoring in place.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patching of affected Cisco Unified CCX systems through official security updates provided by Cisco, which typically address the input validation issues that enable the XSS exploitation. Network segmentation should be implemented to isolate the web interface from general user traffic, reducing the attack surface and limiting potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be strengthened throughout the application to prevent malicious code injection, following established security guidelines and best practices for web application development. Security monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect suspicious activities related to the web interface, with particular attention to unusual parameter values or access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to add additional layers of protection against similar vulnerabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a common attack vector that maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including initial access through web application attacks and privilege escalation through session manipulation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure, as this type of vulnerability is frequently encountered in enterprise web environments.