CVE-2018-1429 in MQ Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM MQ Appliance 9.0.1, 9.0.2, 9.0.3, amd 9.0.4 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 139077.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1429 affects IBM MQ Appliance versions 9.0.1 through 9.0.4, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the security integrity of the web-based management interface. This issue arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the appliance's web user interface, creating an attack surface where malicious actors can inject persistent JavaScript code into web pages served by the appliance. The vulnerability specifically targets the web UI components that handle user input, failing to properly sanitize data before rendering it back to users, thereby enabling attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated sessions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user-supplied data within the appliance's web interface, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through various input fields or parameters that are subsequently reflected in the web pages. According to CWE-79, this represents a classic cross-site scripting vulnerability where the application fails to validate or escape user-controllable data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The flaw operates under the principle that untrusted data is being directly rendered without proper context-specific escaping, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the web application's behavior and potentially escalate privileges within the trusted session context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to hijack authenticated sessions and potentially access sensitive information including user credentials, system configurations, and potentially sensitive message data managed by the MQ appliance. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, steal session cookies, or execute malicious commands that could compromise the entire messaging infrastructure. The threat is particularly severe because the appliance operates within trusted network environments where users expect security controls to be in place, making the exploitation of this vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise messaging systems that rely on IBM MQ for critical business operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1429 should focus on immediate patching of affected IBM MQ Appliance versions, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter malicious traffic patterns. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit access to the appliance's web interface, enforcing strict access controls, and conducting regular security assessments of the appliance's web interface components. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically JavaScript, and represents a significant concern for organizations following security frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO 27001 requirements for secure web application development and maintenance.