CVE-2018-2405 in Solution Manager
Summary
by MITRE
SAP Solution Manager, 7.10, 7.20, Incident Management Work Center allows an attacker to upload a malicious script as an attachment and this could lead to possible Cross-Site Scripting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2023
SAP Solution Manager version 7.10 and 7.20 contains a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability within its Incident Management Work Center module that enables attackers to execute malicious scripts through file upload functionality. This vulnerability resides in the attachment handling mechanism where users can upload files to incidents, creating an attack surface that could be exploited by unauthorized individuals to compromise system integrity and user sessions. The flaw specifically affects the Incident Management Work Center component which is a core module for handling incident reports and user support requests within the SAP ecosystem.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the file upload processing pipeline. When users upload attachments to incident reports, the system fails to properly sanitize file names and content, allowing malicious scripts to be embedded within file metadata or file names. This weakness creates a persistent XSS vector where attackers can craft specially formatted files that, when processed by the system, execute malicious JavaScript code in the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability operates under CWE-79 which classifies it as a cross-site scripting flaw due to improper validation of user-supplied input.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive incident data, modify incident records, or even impersonate legitimate users within the Solution Manager environment. The attack surface is particularly concerning because incident management systems often contain confidential business information, user credentials, and system details that could be leveraged for further attacks within the enterprise network. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering via malicious attachments, and T1059 which involves execution through scripting.
Organizations utilizing SAP Solution Manager 7.10 and 7.20 should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability. The primary mitigation involves implementing strict file type validation and sanitization for all upload operations, ensuring that file names and content are properly encoded before being processed. Network segmentation and web application firewalls should be deployed to monitor and filter suspicious upload traffic. Additionally, administrators should enforce strict access controls and implement regular security monitoring to detect anomalous upload patterns. SAP released patches for this vulnerability through their security notes, and organizations should prioritize applying these updates as soon as possible to eliminate the attack vector. The mitigation strategy should also include user education to prevent social engineering attacks that might exploit this vulnerability through crafted malicious attachments.