CVE-2018-1541 in WebSphere Commerce Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Commerce Enterprise V7, V8, and V9 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: 142596.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/30/2023
IBM WebSphere Commerce Enterprise versions 7, 8, and 9 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security flaw in the web application framework. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which specifically addresses the failure to properly sanitize user input before incorporating it into web page content. The flaw exists in the web user interface where user-supplied data is not adequately validated or escaped before being rendered back to the browser, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's response.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to manipulate the intended functionality of the web application. When users interact with the commerce platform, any input that is not properly sanitized can be exploited to execute malicious scripts within the context of the authenticated user's session. This creates a significant risk for credential disclosure since the injected JavaScript can access session cookies, form data, and other sensitive information that the user's browser maintains during their authenticated session. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within a trusted session context, meaning that the malicious code can leverage existing authentication to access protected resources without requiring additional credentials.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 - Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and represents a classic server-side cross-site scripting attack vector. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that exploit this vulnerability to steal session tokens, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The IBM X-Force ID 142596 further validates the severity of this issue, indicating that it was recognized as a significant threat within the security community. The vulnerability affects the core commerce functionality of the platform, potentially compromising customer data, order processing, and other sensitive business operations that rely on the integrity of the web interface.
Organizations utilizing these IBM WebSphere Commerce versions should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent user-supplied data from being executed as JavaScript code. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping for all user-controllable inputs, utilizing content security policies to restrict script execution, and applying the latest security patches provided by IBM. Additionally, regular security assessments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other components of the web application stack, ensuring comprehensive protection against cross-site scripting attacks that could compromise the entire commerce platform infrastructure.