CVE-2023-5986 in EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert
Summary
by MITRE • 11/15/2023
A CWE-601 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site vulnerability exists that could cause an openredirect vulnerability leading to a cross site scripting attack. By providing a URL-encoded input attackers can cause the software’s web application to redirect to the chosen domain after a successful login is performed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5986 represents a critical security flaw classified under CWE-601, which specifically addresses URL redirection to untrusted sites. This weakness creates a pathway for attackers to manipulate web applications into redirecting users to malicious domains, thereby enabling a cascade of potentially devastating security incidents. The vulnerability manifests when applications fail to properly validate or sanitize URL parameters that are used for redirection purposes, particularly in authentication workflows where users are redirected after successful login attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the trust relationship between the web application and its users by leveraging URL-encoded input parameters that control redirection behavior. When an application processes a redirect URL without adequate validation, attackers can craft malicious inputs that appear legitimate to the application but direct users toward attacker-controlled domains. This manipulation typically occurs in login pages, authentication flows, or any component that accepts redirect parameters to determine where users should be sent after successful authentication. The vulnerability specifically targets the redirection mechanism that occurs post-login, making it particularly dangerous as it can intercept users during their authentication process.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-5986 extends beyond simple redirection, as it creates an ideal environment for executing cross-site scripting attacks and other sophisticated social engineering campaigns. When users are redirected to malicious domains through this vulnerability, they may unknowingly interact with phishing pages, malware distribution sites, or other attacker-controlled resources that can compromise their credentials, personal data, or system integrity. The open redirect condition essentially allows threat actors to establish a man-in-the-middle position, intercepting user sessions or harvesting sensitive information during the authentication process. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that implement single sign-on mechanisms, OAuth flows, or any authentication system that relies on redirect parameters to manage user navigation after login completion.
Organizations should implement comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures to address this vulnerability, ensuring that all redirect URLs are properly validated against a trusted domain whitelist. The mitigation strategy must include strict validation of redirect destinations to prevent redirection to external domains, particularly those not explicitly authorized by the application. Security controls should enforce domain validation checks that reject any redirect attempts to untrusted or unknown domains, while also implementing proper encoding and decoding mechanisms for URL parameters. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics including phishing and spearphishing, as the open redirect can be leveraged to direct users toward malicious sites designed to harvest credentials or install malware. Organizations must also consider implementing Content Security Policy headers and other web application security controls to further protect against exploitation of this class of vulnerability.