CVE-2018-1947 in Security Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance 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: 153427.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1947 affects IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence virtual appliance versions 5.2 through 5.2.4.1, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the security integrity of the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a reflected XSS attack vector that enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's web interface. The affected system operates as a virtual appliance environment where user interactions with the web UI can be manipulated to execute unauthorized code within the context of a legitimate user session.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input that gets reflected back to the user's browser without proper sanitization or encoding mechanisms. This allows the injected JavaScript code to execute in the victim's browser context, potentially capturing session cookies, credentials, or other sensitive information transmitted within the trusted session. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it affects the virtual appliance environment where users typically maintain administrative privileges, making the potential compromise of session data particularly dangerous. The attack vector specifically targets the web user interface components that handle user input and display information, creating opportunities for persistent or reflected cross-site scripting attacks.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence for identity management and access control functions. The successful exploitation could lead to complete session hijacking, unauthorized access to privileged administrative functions, and potential lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The threat actors could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to the identity governance platform, potentially compromising the entire identity management ecosystem. This risk is particularly concerning given that identity governance systems typically contain sensitive information about user access rights, authentication mechanisms, and privileged accounts that could be leveraged for broader security breaches. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially enabling privilege escalation attacks against the identity management infrastructure itself.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent JavaScript injection in web UI components, along with comprehensive web application firewall rules to detect and block malicious payloads. The recommended approach includes applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates as soon as they become available, implementing strict content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of the web application interface. Additionally, organizations should consider network segmentation and monitoring solutions to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The mitigation strategy should align with industry standards such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, emphasizing the importance of secure coding practices and regular vulnerability assessments to prevent similar cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in other applications within the organization's attack surface.