CVE-2019-3486 in Security Management Center
Summary
by MITRE
Mitigates a stored cross site scripting issue in ArcSight Security Management Center versions prior to 2.9.1
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2023
The CVE-2019-3486 vulnerability represents a stored cross site scripting flaw within the ArcSight Security Management Center platform, specifically affecting versions prior to 2.9.1. This vulnerability resides in the web-based administrative interface of the security information and event management system, which is widely deployed across enterprise environments for threat detection and security monitoring. The issue stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's user interface components that handle user-supplied data. When malicious actors exploit this weakness, they can inject malicious scripts into the application's persistent storage layers, which then execute in the context of other users' browsers when they access affected pages.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability falls under the CWE-079 category, which specifically addresses cross site scripting flaws in web applications. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before storing it in the database or configuration files, and subsequently fails to encode this stored data when rendering it back to users. This creates a persistent vector where malicious payloads can be stored in the application's backend systems and executed whenever legitimate users view affected content. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to maintain persistence within the security management platform, potentially enabling them to exfiltrate sensitive security data, escalate privileges, or manipulate security events and alerts.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise security infrastructures that rely on ArcSight for security operations. The stored XSS attack can be leveraged to hijack user sessions, steal administrative credentials, or redirect users to malicious sites that could further compromise the network. Attackers could inject scripts that modify security policies, alter threat intelligence feeds, or manipulate log data to obscure malicious activities. The attack surface extends beyond simple script execution as it can be combined with other techniques to create more sophisticated attack chains. Security analysts and administrators who regularly access the ArcSight console become potential targets, as the malicious scripts execute in their browser context with their elevated privileges.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2019-3486 requires immediate implementation of the vendor-provided patch version 2.9.1, which addresses the input validation and output encoding deficiencies in the affected components. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to the ArcSight management interface, particularly restricting access to only necessary administrative personnel. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious script patterns, conducting regular security assessments of the web interface, and establishing robust monitoring for unusual activities within the security management platform. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, specifically focusing on the execution of malicious scripts through web-based interfaces. Organizations should also consider implementing security awareness training for administrators to recognize potential social engineering attempts that might leverage this vulnerability for initial access or privilege escalation.