CVE-2018-20165 in OpenText
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in OpenText Portal 7.4.4 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the vgnextoid parameter to a menuitem URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-20165 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within OpenText Portal version 7.4.4 that exposes organizations to significant web application security risks. This vulnerability specifically affects the menuitem URI handling mechanism where the vgnextoid parameter fails to properly sanitize user input, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected web applications. The flaw resides in the application's failure to implement adequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms when processing parameters passed through URI structures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient parameter sanitization within the OpenText Portal's web request processing pipeline. When the vgnextoid parameter is submitted through a menuitem URI, the system does not adequately filter or encode the input before rendering it in the web response. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts that can execute in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, data theft, or further exploitation of the compromised application. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no authentication to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the portal serves as a central access point for enterprise applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session manipulation and elevate privileges within the portal environment. Security professionals should note that this flaw aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-site Scripting vulnerabilities in software applications. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects the core menuitem functionality that likely serves as a navigation component for various portal features, potentially allowing attackers to access restricted areas or manipulate user sessions. Organizations using OpenText Portal 7.4.4 are particularly at risk as the vulnerability exists in the base application without requiring complex attack chains or specialized knowledge.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-20165 should prioritize immediate application of vendor patches or updates that address the input sanitization issues in the vgnextoid parameter handling. Organizations should implement comprehensive web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injection attempts targeting the affected URI patterns. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough input validation reviews of all web application parameters to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers can provide additional defense-in-depth measures by restricting script execution and limiting the impact of successful XSS attacks. According to ATT&CK framework category TA0001, this vulnerability represents a technique for Initial Access through web application exploitation, while also supporting TA0002 for Execution and TA0006 for Credential Access through session hijacking capabilities that may result from successful exploitation.