Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in ESRI ArcGIS for Server 10.1 allow remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
ESRI ArcGIS for Server 10.1 is vulnerable to multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) flaws, allowing attackers to inject malicious code into web pages viewed by legitimate users. This could lead to account compromise, data theft, or system takeover through the execution of arbitrary JavaScript within the context of the ArcGIS server. The vulnerability requires authenticated access, but the impact is significant due to the potential for widespread compromise of users interacting with the ArcGIS platform.
Step 1: Authentication: The attacker obtains valid credentials for an ArcGIS for Server 10.1 account. This could involve credential reuse, phishing, or exploiting other vulnerabilities to gain access to an existing account.
Step 2: Payload Injection: The attacker crafts a malicious JavaScript payload designed to execute within the context of the ArcGIS server's web pages. This payload is embedded within a specially crafted input, such as a user profile field, a search query, or a parameter passed to a web service.
Step 3: Payload Delivery: The attacker submits the malicious input to the ArcGIS server. The server processes the input, potentially storing it in a database or displaying it on a web page.
Step 4: Victim Interaction: A legitimate user, authenticated to the ArcGIS server, views a web page or interacts with a feature that displays the attacker's injected input. This could involve browsing a user profile, viewing a map with malicious annotations, or accessing a compromised web service.
Step 5: Payload Execution: The victim's web browser renders the malicious JavaScript payload. The JavaScript executes within the context of the ArcGIS server's domain, allowing the attacker to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting the user to a phishing site, or modifying the content of the web page.
The root cause of CVE-2013-5222 lies in insufficient input validation and output encoding within the ArcGIS for Server 10.1 application. Specifically, the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in the web browser. This allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript payloads into web pages. The lack of proper input validation allows the attacker to craft malicious input that bypasses security checks. The absence of output encoding (e.g., HTML entity encoding) prevents the browser from interpreting the injected data as plain text, allowing it to execute as JavaScript. The unspecified vectors indicate that the vulnerabilities likely exist in multiple areas of the application, such as user input fields, parameter handling, or data display mechanisms. The authenticated nature of the exploit suggests that the attacker needs a valid ArcGIS account, which could be obtained through credential stuffing, phishing, or other social engineering techniques.