CVE-2018-7075 in Intelligent Management Center PLAT
Summary
by MITRE
A remote cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability was identified in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version v7.3 (E0506). The vulnerability is fixed in Intelligent Management Center PLAT 7.3 E0605P04 or subsequent version.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2020
The vulnerability CVE-2018-7075 represents a critical remote cross-site scripting flaw discovered in HPE Intelligent Management Center (iMC) PLAT version v7.3 with build E0506. This issue resides within the web-based administrative interface of the network management platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for monitoring and managing network infrastructure. The vulnerability specifically affects the input validation mechanisms within the application's user interface components, creating a pathway for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts into the application's response. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in network management systems as they provide attackers with potential access to sensitive network configuration data and administrative controls.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input parameters within the iMC web application. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are then executed in the context of other users' browsers who visit affected pages. The vulnerability manifests when user input is directly reflected in the web application's output without proper encoding or validation, allowing attackers to inject script code that executes in the victim's browser session. This flaw aligns with CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as improper neutralization of input during web output, and specifically relates to CWE-80 which addresses the improper neutralization of script-related HTML tags in a web page. The attack vector is particularly concerning as it requires no authentication to exploit, making it accessible to remote attackers who can leverage it to establish persistent access to the network management system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities within the compromised environment. An attacker could leverage this XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even perform actions on behalf of authenticated users within the iMC platform. In enterprise network management contexts, this could lead to unauthorized access to critical network configuration data, disruption of network services, or establishment of persistent backdoors within the network infrastructure. The vulnerability affects the platform's administrative capabilities, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate network policies, access sensitive system information, or compromise the integrity of network monitoring data. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for scripting and T1566 for phishing, as attackers could use the XSS to deliver malicious payloads or manipulate user sessions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-7075 primarily focus on applying the vendor-provided patch released in Intelligent Management Center PLAT 7.3 E0605P04 or later versions. Organizations should immediately implement this update across all affected iMC installations to eliminate the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls to provide defense-in-depth protection against similar vulnerabilities. Input validation should be enhanced at multiple layers including client-side and server-side validation to prevent malicious script injection. Regular security assessments of web applications and network management systems should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current software versions and implementing proper security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing browser security policies including content security policies to limit the impact of potential XSS attacks. According to security best practices, this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, as outlined in OWASP Top 10 2017 category A03: Injection and the principles of secure coding practices that prevent improper neutralization of input during web output.