CVE-2023-5987 in EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert
Summary
by MITRE • 11/15/2023
A CWE-79 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (Cross-site Scripting) vulnerability that could cause a vulnerability leading to a cross site scripting condition where attackers can have a victim’s browser run arbitrary JavaScript when they visit a page containing the injected payload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/15/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-5987 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw classified under CWE-79, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web page generation. This weakness creates an exploitable condition where malicious actors can inject arbitrary JavaScript code into web pages that are subsequently viewed by unsuspecting users. The vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization or encoding of user-supplied input before it is rendered in web content, allowing attackers to bypass security controls designed to prevent code execution in the victim's browser environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when web applications fail to properly validate and sanitize data entered by users through various input vectors such as form fields, URL parameters, or API endpoints. When this unfiltered data is subsequently embedded into web pages without proper HTML encoding or context-appropriate sanitization, it creates opportunities for attackers to inject malicious scripts. The injected JavaScript code executes within the victim's browser context, leveraging the trust relationship between the user and the vulnerable web application to perform unauthorized actions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to conduct a wide range of malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and redirection to malicious sites. The attacker can exploit the XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, allowing them to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to sensitive applications or data. Additionally, the vulnerability can be leveraged to perform DOM-based attacks or store persistent XSS attacks that remain active even after page refreshes, providing attackers with extended access windows. The severity of this vulnerability is amplified when it affects high-privilege applications or those handling sensitive user data.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including input validation, output encoding, and the implementation of Content Security Policies. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1531 for credential access through web-based attacks. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls, implement proper secure coding practices, and conduct regular security testing to identify and remediate similar input validation weaknesses. The remediation process requires thorough code reviews focusing on all user-controllable inputs and ensuring that appropriate encoding mechanisms are implemented for different contexts such as HTML, JavaScript, and URL contexts. Additionally, implementing proper security headers including CSP and using frameworks that provide built-in XSS protection can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation.