CVE-2018-6659 in ePolicy Orchestrator
Summary
by MITRE
Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) 5.3.2, 5.3.1, 5.3.0 and 5.9.0 allows remote authenticated users to exploit an XSS issue via not sanitizing the user input.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/26/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6659 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator versions 5.3.0 through 5.3.2 and 5.9.0. This vulnerability resides in the web application interface of ePO, which serves as a centralized security management platform for McAfee products. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user input received through HTTP request parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary script code into web pages viewed by other users. The vulnerability affects authenticated users who have access to the ePO web console, making it particularly concerning as it requires only legitimate user credentials to exploit. This reflected XSS vulnerability enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of a victim's browser session, potentially compromising user authentication tokens and sensitive data within the security management environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper input validation and output encoding within the ePO web application components. When legitimate users interact with the application through web interfaces, specific parameters in HTTP requests are not adequately filtered or escaped before being rendered in web responses. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that appear as legitimate request parameters, which are then reflected back to users' browsers without proper sanitization. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-79 as a classic reflected cross-site scripting flaw, where malicious scripts are reflected off a web application to a victim's browser. The attack typically involves an attacker sending a specially crafted URL to a victim, which when clicked, causes the victim's browser to execute the malicious script contained within the reflected parameter. The exploitation process leverages the fact that ePO's web interface does not implement sufficient input sanitization measures to prevent script injection attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-6659 extends beyond simple script execution, potentially enabling sophisticated attack vectors within enterprise security environments. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can perform session hijacking, steal administrative credentials, access sensitive configuration data, and potentially escalate privileges within the ePO environment. The consequences are particularly severe given that ePO serves as a central management platform for security policies, threat intelligence, and endpoint protection across organizations. This vulnerability could allow attackers to manipulate security policies, disable protection mechanisms, or redirect traffic to malicious servers. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the attack payload is not stored on the server but is instead reflected back in the application's response, making it difficult to detect through traditional server-side logging mechanisms. Organizations using ePO for security orchestration and incident response could face significant operational disruption if attackers exploit this vulnerability to compromise the central security management infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6659 should prioritize immediate remediation through official security patches provided by McAfee. Organizations must ensure all affected ePO versions are updated to patched releases that implement proper input sanitization and output encoding mechanisms. Network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit the scope of potential exploitation, particularly restricting access to ePO administrative interfaces to trusted users and networks. Web application firewalls can provide additional protection layers by filtering suspicious input patterns and monitoring for known XSS attack signatures. Security monitoring should include enhanced logging of web application requests and responses to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566.001 for spearphishing with attachments, as attackers may use the XSS vulnerability to deliver additional malicious payloads or establish persistence within the network environment. Organizations should also implement comprehensive user education programs to recognize and report suspicious links or web interactions that could indicate exploitation attempts.