CVE-2018-2397 in Business Intelligence
Summary
by MITRE
In SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform, 4.00, 4.10, 4.20, 4.30, the Central Management Console (CMC) does not sufficiently encode user controlled inputs which results in Cross-Site Scripting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-2397 affects SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform versions 4.00 through 4.30, specifically within the Central Management Console component. This issue represents a critical security flaw that enables malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into web applications, potentially compromising user sessions and system integrity. The vulnerability resides in how the CMC handles user input parameters, failing to properly sanitize or encode data before processing or displaying it within web interfaces. This weakness creates an environment where attackers can exploit the platform's web-facing components to execute unauthorized code in the context of victim browsers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the CMC's web application framework. When users interact with the console and provide input through various parameters or form fields, the application fails to adequately sanitize these inputs before rendering them in web pages. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the browser context of legitimate users who access the affected platform. The flaw specifically manifests in the handling of user-controlled data that flows through the application's web interface without proper security encoding, creating persistent XSS vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, access sensitive business intelligence data, and potentially escalate privileges within the platform. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to the business intelligence platform, view confidential reports and dashboards, modify data, or even establish persistent backdoors within the organization's BI infrastructure. The affected environment includes organizations that rely heavily on SAP Business Objects for data analysis and reporting, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprises with significant business intelligence deployments. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting flaws and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 related to credential access through malicious web content.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest SAP security patches and updates, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injections, and conducting thorough input validation across all user-facing interfaces. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of the affected platform, while security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious user activities and potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of SAP environments are crucial to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components, and user education regarding suspicious web content and phishing attempts should be reinforced. Additionally, implementing proper output encoding mechanisms and input sanitization procedures within the application codebase will provide long-term protection against similar vulnerabilities in future deployments.