CVE-2023-28014 in BigFix Mobile
Summary
by MITRE • 07/27/2023
HCL BigFix Mobile is vulnerable to a cross-site scripting attack. An authenticated attacker could inject malicious scripts into the application.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/20/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-28014 affects HCL BigFix Mobile, a mobile application designed for enterprise endpoint management and security operations. This application serves as a critical component in organizations' security infrastructure, providing mobile access to BigFix platform functionalities including policy management, compliance monitoring, and threat response capabilities. The vulnerability represents a significant security risk as it allows authenticated attackers to exploit cross-site scripting flaws within the mobile application's web interface components.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure in proper input validation and output encoding within the mobile application's web-based user interface elements. When authenticated users interact with the application's web components, malicious scripts can be injected through vulnerable input fields or parameters that are not adequately sanitized before being rendered back to users. This occurs because the application does not properly escape or filter user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamic web content, creating an environment where attacker-controlled JavaScript code can execute within the context of other users' sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities within the compromised session. An authenticated attacker could potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify application functionality, or even escalate privileges within the mobile application's access controls. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication to exploit, meaning that attackers who have gained legitimate access to the application can leverage this flaw to further compromise user sessions and potentially access sensitive enterprise data.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of how mobile applications with web interfaces can inherit security weaknesses from their web components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1566.001 for initial access through malicious web content and could enable further techniques such as T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and T1531 for credential access through session hijacking. Organizations utilizing HCL BigFix Mobile should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader attack surface that could facilitate lateral movement and persistence within enterprise networks.
The recommended mitigations include implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's web components, deploying proper content security policies to prevent unauthorized script execution, and ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being rendered. Organizations should also consider implementing additional authentication controls and session management improvements to limit the scope of potential damage from successful exploitation. Regular security testing and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar flaws in other application components and ensure that the mobile application's security posture remains robust against evolving attack techniques.