CVE-2020-6323 in Netweaver Enterprise Portal
Summary
by MITRE • 10/15/2020
SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal (Fiori Framework Page) versions - 7.50, 7.31, 7.40, does not sufficiently encode user-controlled inputs and allows an attacker on a valid session to create an XSS that will be both reflected immediately and also be persisted and returned in further access to the system, resulting in Cross Site Scripting.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2020
SAP NetWeaver Enterprise Portal running Fiori Framework Page versions 7.50, 7.31, and 7.40 contains a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability that stems from insufficient input validation and encoding mechanisms within the application's user interface components. This vulnerability exists in the way the system processes and renders user-supplied data, particularly when handling parameters passed through HTTP requests to the portal's page rendering engine. The flaw specifically affects the Fiori Framework implementation which is designed to provide a modern user experience but inadvertently creates an attack surface where malicious script code can be injected and executed within the context of a legitimate user's session.
The technical nature of this vulnerability allows an attacker who has obtained valid session credentials to inject malicious JavaScript code through user-controlled input fields or URL parameters that are not properly sanitized before being rendered back to the user interface. This creates a persistent cross-site scripting condition where the malicious code is not only executed immediately upon submission but is also stored within the system's data structures and subsequently returned during subsequent user interactions with the portal. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that the malicious payload appears immediately in the browser console, while the persistent component ensures that the script executes every time the affected page is accessed by any user within the same session context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it enables attackers to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information, perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users, and potentially escalate privileges within the SAP environment. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of the portal, as users with valid sessions can be tricked into executing malicious code that could access other systems or data within the SAP landscape. This represents a serious threat to enterprise security as the attack can be executed through simple web browser interactions without requiring additional authentication mechanisms.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which defines Cross-Site Scripting as a weakness that occurs when an application fails to properly validate or encode user-provided data before including it in dynamically generated web content. The persistent nature of the vulnerability also relates to CWE-80 which addresses the specific issue of reflected cross-site scripting where malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1566 for social engineering attacks that exploit web application vulnerabilities, T1071 for application layer protocols, and T1531 for establishing persistence through malicious content. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and session management controls, while also applying official SAP security patches as recommended by the SAP Security Response Team to address this critical vulnerability.