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Access ManagerApplication · Netiq

CVE-2016-5756

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-03-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple components of the web tools in NetIQ Access Manager 4.1 before 4.1.2 Hot Fix 1 and 4.2 before 4.2.2 were vulnerable to Reflected Cross Site Scripting attacks which could be used to hijack user sessions: nps/servlet/frameservice, nps/servlet/webacc, roma/admin/cntl, roma/jsp/admin/appliance/devicedetail_edit.jsp, roma/jsp/admin/managementip/mgmt_ip_details_frameset.jsp, roma/jsp/admin/managementip/mgmt_ip_details_middleframe.jsp, roma/jsp/volsc/monitoring/appliance.jsp, and roma/jsp/volsc/monitoring/graph.jsp.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Reflected Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in multiple web tool components of NetIQ Access Manager 4.1 and 4.2. Eight endpoints including servlets and JSP files (nps/servlet/frameservice, nps/servlet/webacc, roma/admin/cntl, and multiple monitoring/administration JSP pages) fail to properly sanitize user input in URL parameters, allowing injection of malicious scripts that execute in the context of the victim's session.

MitigationApply vendor patches (4.1.2 Hot Fix 1 for 4.1.x or 4.2.2 for 4.2.x) to address the XSS vulnerability in all affected endpoints. As interim mitigation, implement input validation at a WAF or restrict access to vulnerable endpoints until patching is complete.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Access ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.1= 4.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify NetIQ Access Manager installation
    Search for NetIQ Access Manager installation directories (commonly /opt/novell/nam/ or check for 'NetIQ' or 'Access Manager' in installed software listings). Check for the 'nps' and 'roma' web application directories.
    Affected if NetIQ Access Manager is installed and the web components (nps, roma) are present
  2. Verify installed version is 4.1 or 4.2
    Locate version information in the Access Manager installation - typically in configuration files, About pages, or the admin console. Look for version files in the installation directory or access the admin interface version display.
    Affected if Installed version equals 4.1 or equals 4.2 exactly (version must be exactly 4.1 or exactly 4.2)
  3. Confirm web administration interfaces are exposed
    Test if the vulnerable endpoints are accessible on the server: attempt to reach /nps/servlet/frameservice, /nps/servlet/webacc, and /roma/admin/cntl paths via HTTP/HTTPS from the server itself or check if these URL paths are published in the web server configuration.
    Affected if Any of the endpoints (nps/servlet/frameservice, nps/servlet/webacc, roma/admin/cntl) are accessible via network
  4. Check monitoring/administration JSP pages accessibility
    Identify and probe for the multiple monitoring and administration JSP pages mentioned in the affected components. These are typically under the /nps/ or /roma/ web contexts. Verify if these pages accept URL parameters without obvious sanitization.
    Affected if Monitoring or administration JSP pages accept user-supplied URL parameters and are accessible without authentication or with session-based authentication

You are affected if NetIQ Access Manager version 4.1 or 4.2 is installed AND any of the vulnerable web endpoints (nps/servlet/frameservice, nps/servlet/webacc, roma/admin/cntl, or monitoring/admin JSP pages) are network-accessible and accept unsanitized URL parameters.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches (4.1.2 Hot Fix 1 for 4.1.x or 4.2.2 for 4.2.x) to address the XSS vulnerability in all affected endpoints. As interim mitigation, implement input validation at a WAF or restrict access to vulnerable endpoints until patching is complete.

Fix this in Access Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-5756 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data