CVE-2018-6502 in Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
A potential Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Security vulnerability has been identified in ArcSight Management Center (ArcMC) in all versions prior to 2.81. This vulnerability could be exploited to allow for Reflected Cross-site Scripting (XSS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6502 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within the ArcSight Management Center (ArcMC) platform, affecting all versions prior to 2.81. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of user input within HTTP response headers, specifically in the way the system processes and reflects external parameters without adequate sanitization or encoding mechanisms. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker crafts malicious input that gets reflected back to users through the web interface, creating a persistent vector for XSS exploitation. This flaw directly violates security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten 2017, specifically category a03, which addresses injection flaws including cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the ArcMC application's response handling mechanisms. When user-supplied data is passed through HTTP response headers and subsequently rendered in web pages without proper sanitization, attackers can inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability is classified as reflected XSS under CWE-79, which describes the condition where malicious scripts are reflected off a web application to a victim user. This particular implementation allows attackers to manipulate the application's response headers, creating a scenario where crafted payloads can be executed in the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the ArcSight environment. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or inject malicious content that could compromise the integrity of security monitoring operations. The ArcSight Management Center serves as a critical component in enterprise security operations, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be exploited to undermine security monitoring capabilities and potentially gain access to sensitive security event data. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects all versions prior to 2.81, indicating a widespread exposure across organizations utilizing older ArcSight installations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to ArcSight Management Center version 2.81 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation controls to provide additional layers of protection. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007, which involves the use of scripting languages for execution, and T1566.001, which covers social engineering through spearphishing with malicious attachments or links. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any other potential reflected XSS vulnerabilities within their ArcSight deployments and ensure proper input validation is implemented across all web applications. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the patched version to ensure that the fix does not introduce regressions in functionality while maintaining the security posture of the overall ArcSight environment.