CVE-2019-8987 in Data Science for AWS
Summary
by MITRE
The application server component of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Data Science for AWS, and TIBCO Spotfire Data Science contains a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability that theoretically allows an authenticated user to gain access to all the capabilities of the web interface available to more privileged users. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Data Science for AWS: versions up to and including 6.4.0, and TIBCO Spotfire Data Science: versions up to and including 6.4.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-8987 represents a critical persistent cross-site scripting flaw within the application server component of TIBCO Software Inc.'s data science platforms. This security weakness exists in both TIBCO Data Science for AWS and TIBCO Spotfire Data Science products, affecting all versions up to and including 6.4.0. The vulnerability arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before it is rendered within the web interface. This flaw allows an authenticated attacker with legitimate access credentials to inject malicious scripts that persist within the application's data storage, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users over time.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within the web application's server-side processing components. When authenticated users submit data through various interface elements, the application fails to properly validate or escape special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript code. This weakness falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities, and more particularly aligns with CWE-80 which deals with the improper neutralization of script-related HTML tags in a web page. The persistent nature of this XSS flaw means that malicious scripts injected by an attacker can remain active within the application's database or storage mechanisms, executing whenever other users access the affected functionality.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond typical XSS scenarios due to the authenticated nature of the attack vector and the potential for privilege escalation. An attacker with legitimate user credentials can leverage this vulnerability to inject malicious code that could potentially access administrative functions or sensitive data within the web interface. The threat model suggests that an attacker could craft malicious payloads that would execute in the context of other users' browsers, potentially enabling unauthorized access to capabilities normally restricted to more privileged users. This represents a significant concern for organizations relying on these platforms for data science and analytics workloads where sensitive business intelligence and proprietary information may be processed.
The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the trust relationship between legitimate users and the application server, potentially allowing for session hijacking, data exfiltration, or further lateral movement within the network environment. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript and T1566.001 for Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment, as attackers could use the XSS payload to redirect users to malicious sites or harvest session tokens. Organizations using affected versions of these TIBCO products face potential exposure to credential theft, unauthorized data access, and possible system compromise. The persistent nature of the vulnerability means that once exploited, the malicious scripts could continue to affect users until the application is properly patched and the injected content is removed from the system.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patching of affected software versions to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms that properly sanitize all user-supplied data before processing. Network segmentation and access controls should be reviewed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other application components. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content security policies can provide additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that the vulnerability has been fully addressed without introducing regressions in application functionality.