CVE-2019-4691

Vulnerability

IBM Security Guardium Data Encryption (GDE) version 3.0.0.2 is affected by a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its Web UI. An attacker can embed arbitrary JavaScript code into the interface, which is then executed in the context of other users' sessions [1]. The vulnerability is identified by IBM X-Force ID 171828 and is related to insufficient input validation or output encoding.

Exploitation

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must have user-level access to the GDE Web UI. The attacker can craft a malicious input containing JavaScript code and submit it through a vulnerable field or parameter. When another user views the affected page, the injected script executes in their browser within the trusted security context of the application [1]. The attack requires no special network position beyond authenticated access to the Web interface.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to perform actions on behalf of the victim user within the GDE Web UI, including potential disclosure of credentials (such as session tokens or passwords) if the script captures form submissions or cookies. This compromises the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions [1]. The attacker does not gain direct administrative privileges but can leverage the victim's authenticated session to access data or functions available to that user.

Mitigation

IBM has released a security bulletin (page/node/6320835) advising users to upgrade to a fixed version of GDE. The bulletin does not explicitly state a patched version number, but it references multiple CVEs affecting the same product, indicating a combined fix. Users should apply the latest update from IBM as recommended in the advisory [1]. As of the publication date (2020-08-26), no workaround is detailed; upgrading is the primary mitigation.