📄 Description (English)
IBM Aspera Shares 1.9.9 through 1.11.0 is vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.
🤖 AI Executive Summary
IBM Aspera Shares versions 1.9.9 through 1.11.0 contain a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that allows authenticated users to inject malicious JavaScript code into the Web UI. This vulnerability can lead to credential disclosure and session hijacking within trusted user sessions. While no public exploit is currently available, the lack of a patch requires immediate compensating controls for affected Saudi organizations.
📄 Description (Arabic)
🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: May 25, 2026 16:17
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi organizations using IBM Aspera Shares for secure file transfer and collaboration, particularly in: (1) Banking sector (SAMA-regulated institutions) using Aspera for secure document exchange; (2) Government agencies (NCA oversight) managing sensitive communications; (3) Energy sector (ARAMCO and subsidiaries) for operational data sharing; (4) Telecommunications (STC, Mobily) for content distribution; (5) Healthcare organizations sharing patient records. The stored XSS nature means compromised data persists across sessions, affecting multiple users accessing the same malicious content.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Banking and Financial Services
Government and Public Administration
Energy and Utilities
Telecommunications
Healthcare
Oil and Gas
Education
🎯 MITRE ATT&CK Techniques
T1059 - Command and Scripting Interpreter (JavaScript execution)
T1566 - Phishing (credential harvesting via XSS)
T1539 - Steal Web Session Cookie (session hijacking)
T1056 - Input Capture (credential disclosure)
T1598 - Phishing for Information (social engineering via injected content)
T1187 - Forced Authentication (credential capture through malicious scripts)
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Inventory all IBM Aspera Shares deployments and identify instances running versions 1.9.9-1.11.0
2. Restrict access to Aspera Shares to trusted internal networks only; implement network segmentation
3. Disable or restrict user ability to upload/embed content until patched
4. Review access logs for suspicious activity or unusual content uploads
Compensating Controls (until patch available):
5. Implement Web Application Firewall (WAF) rules to detect and block JavaScript injection patterns in Aspera Shares requests
6. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent inline script execution
7. Enable comprehensive audit logging for all file uploads and content modifications
8. Implement input validation and sanitization at the application level if configuration options exist
9. Conduct security awareness training for users on not clicking suspicious links within Aspera
10. Monitor for IBM security advisories for patch availability
11. Consider upgrading to version 1.11.1 or later once released
12. Detection Rule: Alert on POST requests to Aspera Shares containing script tags, event handlers (onclick, onload), or JavaScript protocol handlers in file names or metadata
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. حصر جميع نشرات IBM Aspera Shares وتحديد الحالات التي تعمل بالإصدارات 1.9.9-1.11.0
2. تقييد الوصول إلى Aspera Shares للشبكات الداخلية الموثوقة فقط؛ تطبيق تقسيم الشبكة
3. تعطيل أو تقييد قدرة المستخدم على تحميل/دمج المحتوى حتى يتم تصحيحه
4. مراجعة سجلات الوصول للنشاط المريب أو تحميلات المحتوى غير العادية
الضوابط التعويضية (حتى توفر التصحيح):
5. تطبيق قواعد جدار حماية تطبيقات الويب (WAF) للكشف عن أنماط حقن JavaScript وحجبها
6. نشر رؤوس سياسة أمان المحتوى (CSP) لمنع تنفيذ البرامج النصية المضمنة
7. تفعيل تسجيل التدقيق الشامل لجميع تحميلات الملفات وتعديلات المحتوى
8. تطبيق التحقق من صحة الإدخال والتطهير على مستوى التطبيق إن أمكن
9. إجراء تدريب الوعي الأمني للمستخدمين على عدم النقر على الروابط المريبة داخل Aspera
10. مراقبة استشارات أمان IBM لتوفر التصحيحات
11. النظر في الترقية إلى الإصدار 1.11.1 أو أحدث عند إصداره
12. قاعدة الكشف: تنبيه على طلبات POST إلى Aspera Shares تحتوي على علامات البرامج النصية أو معالجات الأحداث أو معالجات بروتوكول JavaScript في أسماء الملفات أو البيانات الوصفية
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - Information security requirements for supplier relationships (IBM Aspera as critical supplier)
ECC 2024 A.14.2.5 - Addressing information security in supplier agreements
ECC 2024 A.5.1.2 - Information security roles and responsibilities
ECC 2024 A.6.1.1 - Screening and vetting of personnel with access to sensitive data
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF 1.1 - Governance and Risk Management (vulnerability management)
SAMA CSF 2.1 - Asset Management (identification and protection of critical systems)
SAMA CSF 3.1 - Access Control (restricting access to vulnerable systems)
SAMA CSF 4.1 - Data Protection (preventing credential disclosure through XSS)
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.5.1 - Policies for information security
ISO 27001:2022 A.6.1 - Organization of information security
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.1 - User endpoint devices
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.2 - Privileged access rights
ISO 27001:2022 A.8.3 - Information access restriction
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6 - Change management
🟣 PCI DSS v4.0.1
PCI DSS 6.2 - Ensure security patches are installed within one month of release (if processing payment data)
PCI DSS 6.5.7 - Cross-site scripting prevention
PCI DSS 8.1 - User identification and authentication
🔗 References & Sources 1
📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries
ibm:aspera_shares