CVE-2018-19766 in VistaPortal SE
Summary
by MITRE
Cross Site Scripting exists in InfoVista VistaPortal SE Version 5.1 (build 51029). The page "GroupRessourceAdmin.jsp" has reflected XSS via the ConnPoolName parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-19766 represents a cross site scripting flaw in InfoVista VistaPortal SE Version 5.1 build 51029 that specifically affects the GroupRessourceAdmin.jsp web page. This issue falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical security weakness in web applications. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input parameters, particularly the ConnPoolName parameter, allowing malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary script code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this reflected XSS vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload and delivers it to unsuspecting users through various means such as phishing emails, compromised web pages, or social engineering tactics. When a victim accesses the vulnerable GroupRessourceAdmin.jsp page with a malicious ConnPoolName parameter, the application reflects the unsanitized input back to the user's browser without proper encoding or validation. This reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious script executes immediately upon page load, making it particularly dangerous for session hijacking, credential theft, and other malicious activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can lead to complete session compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive information within the VistaPortal environment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to steal user sessions, modify data, redirect users to malicious websites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability specifically targets the resource management functionality of the application, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate connection pool configurations and gain unauthorized access to underlying network resources. This represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where VistaPortal is used for critical infrastructure management and monitoring.
Security professionals should implement multiple layers of mitigation for this reflected XSS vulnerability. The primary defense mechanism involves input validation and output encoding of all user-supplied parameters, particularly those used in dynamic page generation. Implementing proper HTML encoding and context-appropriate sanitization of the ConnPoolName parameter will prevent malicious scripts from executing when reflected back to users. Organizations should also deploy web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious payloads targeting this specific vulnerability. Additionally, following the principle of least privilege and implementing proper access controls will limit the potential damage from successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering tactics, and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter techniques that attackers may use to exploit the reflected XSS vulnerability. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar reflected XSS issues in other application components, as this represents a common pattern in web application security flaws.