CVE-2006-2342 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.0.2 before FixPack 3 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication for the Welcome Page via a request to the default context root.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-2342 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw within IBM WebSphere Application Server version 6.0.2 prior to FixPack 3. This issue affects the server's handling of requests to the default context root, which serves as the primary entry point for accessing the Welcome Page functionality. The flaw allows remote attackers to gain unauthorized access to administrative interfaces and potentially sensitive application resources without proper authentication credentials. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access control mechanisms implemented in the server's default configuration, creating an exploitable gap in the authentication framework that could be leveraged by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the server's failure to properly validate authentication status when processing requests to the default context root path. When a remote attacker sends a request to the server's default context root, the application server does not adequately verify whether the requester possesses valid credentials before granting access to the Welcome Page interface. This misconfiguration allows unauthorized users to bypass the normal authentication workflow and directly access administrative functions that should only be available to authenticated administrators. The flaw specifically impacts the server's default deployment configuration where the welcome page functionality is accessible without proper authentication checks, creating an inherent security weakness in the application server's access control model.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations utilizing IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.0.2 in their production environments. The authentication bypass could enable attackers to gain access to sensitive administrative interfaces, potentially allowing them to modify application configurations, deploy malicious code, or extract confidential data from the application server. The remote nature of this exploit means that attackers do not require physical access to the server or network credentials to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in environments where the application server is exposed to untrusted networks. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as this vulnerability could serve as a foothold for more sophisticated attacks, including privilege escalation and lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability by applying the available FixPack 3 update from IBM, which resolves the authentication bypass issue through proper access control enforcement. Additionally, network segmentation strategies should be employed to limit direct access to the application server from untrusted networks, while implementing proper firewall rules to restrict access to administrative ports and interfaces. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which describes improper access control, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for phishing attacks, as this vulnerability could be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting enterprise application servers. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns to default context root paths, and regular security assessments should be conducted to identify similar configuration weaknesses in other application server components. Organizations should also consider implementing additional authentication layers and access control mechanisms to provide defense in depth against similar vulnerabilities that may exist in legacy application server configurations.