CVE-2019-0335 in Business Intelligence Platform
Summary
by MITRE
Under certain conditions SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (Central Management Console), versions 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, allows an attacker to store a malicious payload within the description field of a user account. The payload is triggered when the mouse cursor is moved over the description field in the list, when generating the little yellow informational pop up box, resulting in Stored Cross Site Scripting Attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-0335 represents a critical stored cross site scripting flaw within SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform's Central Management Console. This security weakness affects multiple versions including 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3, creating a persistent threat vector that can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise user sessions and execute unauthorized code within the context of the affected application. The vulnerability specifically resides in how the system handles user account description fields, which are designed to store textual information about user profiles and account details.
The technical implementation of this flaw occurs when an attacker crafts a malicious payload and stores it within the description field of a user account. This payload remains dormant until a user interacts with the application interface, specifically when the mouse cursor is positioned over the description field in the user list view. The application's interface generates a small yellow informational pop up box that displays the stored description content, inadvertently executing the malicious script code contained within the description field. This mechanism constitutes a classic stored XSS attack pattern where the malicious code is persisted on the server and executed whenever the vulnerable content is rendered to users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to perform a variety of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. The stored nature of the attack means that any user who views the compromised user list, particularly those with administrative privileges, becomes a potential victim of the malicious payload. This creates a significant risk for organizations that rely on BusinessObjects for critical business intelligence operations, as the vulnerability can be exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive business data and analytical reports. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond normal navigation of the application interface, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users regularly access the Central Management Console.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter - JavaScript. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation and output encoding practices within the application's user interface components, failing to properly sanitize user-supplied content before rendering it in browser contexts. Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies including input validation at multiple layers, output encoding for all user-generated content, and regular security assessments of web application components. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of principle of least privilege in enterprise environments, as administrators who can modify user descriptions may inadvertently create attack vectors that affect all users of the system. Additionally, implementing content security policies and regular security training for administrators can help reduce the risk of successful exploitation through this stored XSS vulnerability.