CVE-2019-4091 in Marketing Platform
Summary
by MITRE
"HCL Marketing Platform is vulnerable to cross-site scripting during addition of new users and also while searching for users in Dashboard, potentially giving an attacker ability to inject malicious code into the system. "
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-4091 affects the HCL Marketing Platform, a comprehensive customer relationship management solution that serves enterprise organizations. This cross-site scripting vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that undermines the platform's integrity and user safety. The vulnerability manifests during two distinct operational phases within the system's user management functionality, specifically when adding new users and conducting user searches through the dashboard interface. The flaw stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing or rendering within the web application context.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-79, which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web applications viewed by other users. The attack vector operates through the platform's user management workflows where unfiltered input is processed and subsequently displayed without proper sanitization. When an attacker crafts malicious input containing script tags or other executable code during user creation or search operations, the system fails to neutralize these elements before rendering them in the browser context. The vulnerability exists because the application does not implement proper context-aware output encoding or input validation that would prevent script execution within the victim's browser environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or unauthorized access. An attacker who successfully exploits this flaw could execute arbitrary scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized administrative actions. The dashboard interface provides a privileged access point where attackers could gain elevated privileges or access sensitive user data. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on HCL Marketing Platform for customer data management, as the malicious scripts could be used to capture user credentials or redirect them to phishing sites. The attack requires minimal privileges since it targets the web application interface rather than underlying system components, making it accessible to attackers with basic web exploitation knowledge.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-4091 should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms across all user-facing interfaces. Organizations should deploy proper content security policies that prevent script execution within the application context while ensuring all user inputs undergo strict sanitization before processing. The implementation of context-aware encoding for different output contexts such as HTML, JavaScript, and URL contexts forms a critical defensive measure. Additionally, the platform should enforce proper parameter validation and implement secure coding practices that prevent direct insertion of user data into dynamic web content. Regular security testing including dynamic application security testing and manual code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring solutions to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, highlighting the importance of addressing script injection vulnerabilities in web applications. The security controls should be validated through penetration testing to ensure proper implementation and effectiveness against similar cross-site scripting attack vectors.