CVE-2018-19816 in VistaPortal SE
Summary
by MITRE
Cross Site Scripting exists in InfoVista VistaPortal SE Version 5.1 (build 51029). The page "/VPortal/mgtconsole/categorytree/ChooseCategory.jsp" has reflected XSS via the ConnPoolName parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/19/2023
This vulnerability represents a classic cross site scripting flaw in the InfoVista VistaPortal SE version 5.1 system, specifically targeting the management console interface. The issue manifests in the category tree selection page where user input is not properly sanitized or encoded before being reflected back to the browser. The vulnerable parameter ConnPoolName demonstrates how unvalidated input can be exploited to inject malicious scripts into the web application's response, creating a persistent security risk for all users interacting with the management console.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the ChooseCategory.jsp page. When a user submits a value through the ConnPoolName parameter, the application directly incorporates this input into the HTML response without proper sanitization. This allows an attacker to craft malicious payloads that execute within the context of other users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross site scripting as a critical weakness in web applications where untrusted data is improperly handled.
The operational impact of this reflected XSS vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks within the targeted environment. An attacker could craft a malicious URL containing script code in the ConnPoolName parameter that would execute when victims navigate to the page, potentially stealing session cookies or redirecting users to malicious sites. This vulnerability affects the management console functionality and could compromise the entire VistaPortal SE environment, particularly since it resides in a privileged interface that likely contains sensitive configuration data and administrative controls.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices throughout the application. The recommended approach includes sanitizing all user-supplied input through proper encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding before rendering any content in the response. Additionally, implementing a Content Security Policy (CSP) would provide an additional layer of protection against script injection attacks. The fix should address the root cause by ensuring that the ChooseCategory.jsp page properly validates and sanitizes the ConnPoolName parameter, following established security practices such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework for web application security. Organizations should also consider implementing proper web application firewalls and regular security testing to detect similar vulnerabilities in other components of the VistaPortal SE system.