CVE-2020-25835 in ArcSight Management Center
Summary
by MITRE • 12/09/2023
A potential vulnerability has been identified in Micro Focus ArcSight Management Center. The vulnerability could be remotely exploited resulting in stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-25835 affects Micro Focus ArcSight Management Center, a comprehensive security information and event management solution used by organizations to monitor and analyze security events across their network infrastructure. This particular flaw represents a critical security weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability manifests as a stored cross-site scripting issue, meaning that malicious input can be permanently stored on the server and subsequently executed whenever users view the affected content, creating a persistent threat vector that can compromise multiple users over time.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the ArcSight Management Center application. When users submit data through web forms or other input mechanisms, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied content before storing it in the database. This allows attackers to inject malicious javascript code or other harmful payloads that are then stored and executed whenever legitimate users access the affected application interface. The stored nature of this vulnerability means that the malicious code persists even after the initial injection, making it particularly dangerous as it can affect multiple users without requiring repeated exploitation attempts. This weakness directly maps to CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities where improper validation of user-supplied data leads to the execution of malicious scripts in the victim's browser context.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-25835 extends beyond simple data theft or service disruption, as it creates a persistent backdoor for attackers to compromise user sessions and potentially escalate privileges within the ArcSight environment. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute commands on behalf of authenticated users with the privileges of the compromised account. Given that ArcSight Management Center typically handles sensitive security event data, the potential for data exfiltration, unauthorized access to security logs, and disruption of security monitoring operations is significant. The vulnerability could also serve as a stepping stone for attackers to move laterally within the network or escalate their privileges to gain access to other systems that rely on the ArcSight platform for security operations. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script execution and T1566.001 for spearphishing with a malicious attachment, as attackers could craft malicious payloads that exploit this vulnerability to establish persistent access.
Organizations utilizing Micro Focus ArcSight Management Center should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability. The primary mitigation strategy involves applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that address the input validation and output encoding weaknesses in the application. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, while web application firewalls can provide an additional protective layer. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the security infrastructure. Access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to limit the impact of potential compromise, and user education programs should be implemented to raise awareness about the dangers of clicking on suspicious links or submitting untrusted content to security applications. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security practices and the need for continuous monitoring of security advisories from vendors and security organizations to ensure timely remediation of known weaknesses.