CVE-2018-2486 in Marketing
Summary
by MITRE
SAP Marketing (UICUAN (1.20, 1.30, 1.40), SAPSCORE (1.13, 1.14)) does not sufficiently encode user-controlled inputs, resulting in Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2020
SAP Marketing components including UICUAN versions 1.20, 1.30, and 1.40 along with SAPSCORE versions 1.13 and 1.14 contain a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability that arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms. This vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly sanitize user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content, creating an exploitable condition where malicious scripts can be injected and executed within the context of other users' browsers. The flaw exists at the input processing layer where user-controlled parameters are not adequately escaped or encoded before being rendered in web pages, making it susceptible to persistent and reflected XSS attacks that can compromise user sessions and data integrity.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic lack of proper data sanitization practices that aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities due to insufficient output encoding. Attackers can exploit this weakness by submitting malicious payloads through various input vectors including form fields, URL parameters, or API endpoints that are processed by the marketing applications. The vulnerability allows threat actors to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the victim's browser context, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites. This type of vulnerability represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture where input validation mechanisms fail to properly distinguish between legitimate user data and potentially harmful script content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged for advanced persistent threats within enterprise environments. Organizations utilizing these SAP Marketing components face significant risk of unauthorized access to sensitive marketing data, customer information, and potentially elevated privileges within the application ecosystem. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions of the software components indicates a systemic issue in the development lifecycle that requires comprehensive remediation rather than isolated patches. Security teams must consider this vulnerability as part of broader attack surface management strategies and implement layered defenses to protect against exploitation attempts that could compromise enterprise security posture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms that align with industry best practices and security frameworks. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads attempting to exploit this vulnerability, while also implementing content security policies to prevent script execution in browser contexts. The remediation process must address the root cause by ensuring all user-controlled inputs are properly escaped before rendering in web pages, utilizing established encoding libraries and frameworks that provide robust protection against XSS attacks. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive code reviews and penetration testing to identify similar vulnerabilities within the SAP Marketing ecosystem and other applications that may exhibit similar encoding deficiencies. This vulnerability represents a critical security gap that requires immediate attention and systematic remediation to protect enterprise assets and maintain regulatory compliance standards.