# CVE-2018-12480: NetIQ Access Manager XSS vulnerability in versions prior to 4.4 SP3

> Attackers can inject malicious scripts into NetIQ Access Manager, potentially leading to session hijacking or code execution.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 15 Nov 2018
- **Updated:** 13 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-25gm-f4jj-c4jm

## What is CVE-2018-12480?

CVE-2018-12480 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in NetIQ Access Manager (NAM), published on 15 Nov 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Mitigates an XSS issue in NetIQ Access Manager versions prior to 4.4 SP3.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2018-12480?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microfocus Access Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2018-12480?

No fix has been published for CVE-2018-12480 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2018-12480 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12480 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in NetIQ Access Manager (NAM)

- [CVE-2021-22506](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22506/): Micro Focus Access Manager Information Leakage (high 7.5, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-11878](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-11878/): Reflected Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability in OpenText Access Manager (high 8.2)
- [CVE-2021-22528](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22528/): Information leakage vulnerability in NetIQ Access Manager versions prior to version 4.5.4 and 5.0.1 (high 8.0)
- [CVE-2021-22496](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22496/): Auth bypass in Access Manager (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2014-5217](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-5217/): Cross-site request forgery in n/a (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2018-12480 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2018-12480 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in NetIQ Access Manager (NAM), published on 15 Nov 2018. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2018-12480 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: NetIQ Access Manager (NAM). No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12480/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12480/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-12480
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12480
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2018-12480

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12480/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.