CVE-2024-4554 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation), commonly known as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), found in OpenText NetIQ Access Manager prior to versions 5.0.4.1 and 5.1. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation when generating web pages, allowing an attacker with low privileges (PR:L) to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of the victim's browser. Exploitation requires user interaction (UI:R), such as clicking a crafted link or visiting a malicious page, but does not require elevated privileges beyond low-level access. The vulnerability impacts confidentiality and integrity by potentially exposing sensitive session tokens, credentials, or enabling unauthorized actions via script execution. Availability is not impacted. The CVSS v3.1 score is 7.3 (High), reflecting network attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), and significant impact on confidentiality and integrity (C:H/I:H). No public exploits have been reported yet, but the presence of this vulnerability in a critical access management product makes it a notable risk. OpenText Access Manager is widely used for identity federation, single sign-on, and access control in enterprise environments, making this vulnerability a vector for targeted attacks against enterprise users. The vulnerability was reserved in May 2024 and published in August 2024, with no patch links currently available, indicating that remediation may still be pending or in progress.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-4554 can be significant due to the widespread use of OpenText Access Manager in sectors such as finance, government, healthcare, and telecommunications. Successful exploitation could lead to theft of authentication tokens, session hijacking, or unauthorized actions performed on behalf of legitimate users, compromising sensitive personal and corporate data. This could result in regulatory non-compliance under GDPR due to data breaches, financial losses, reputational damage, and operational disruptions. The attack requires user interaction but can be executed remotely, increasing the attack surface. Since Access Manager often protects critical internal and cloud resources, the breach could cascade into broader network compromise. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate risk but also means organizations must act proactively to prevent future attacks. The vulnerability's presence in identity and access management infrastructure elevates its potential impact compared to typical web application XSS flaws.

1. Monitor OpenText’s official channels closely for the release of security patches addressing CVE-2024-4554 and apply them immediately upon availability. 2. Until patches are available, implement strict input validation and output encoding on all user-controllable inputs within Access Manager configurations or customizations to reduce injection risk. 3. Deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to restrict the execution of unauthorized scripts in browsers accessing Access Manager portals. 4. Conduct thorough security reviews of Access Manager deployment configurations, especially any custom web pages or integrations that might be vulnerable to injection. 5. Educate users about the risks of clicking unknown or suspicious links to reduce the likelihood of successful user interaction exploitation. 6. Use Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) with rules tuned to detect and block XSS attack patterns targeting Access Manager endpoints. 7. Implement enhanced logging and monitoring to detect anomalous activities indicative of exploitation attempts. 8. Review and restrict privileges to the minimum necessary to reduce the impact of compromised low-privilege accounts. 9. Coordinate with incident response teams to prepare for rapid containment if exploitation is detected.