CVE-2007-0411 in WebLogic Server
Summary
by MITRE
BEA WebLogic Server 8.1 through 8.1 SP5, 9.0, 9.1, and 9.2 Gold, when WS-Security is used, does not properly validate certificates, which allows remote attackers to conduct a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-0411 represents a critical security flaw in BEA WebLogic Server versions 8.1 through 8.1 SP5, as well as versions 9.0, 9.1, and 9.2 Gold. This issue specifically affects the server's implementation of WS-Security protocols, which are designed to provide secure communication between web services. The flaw manifests in the certificate validation process where the server fails to properly verify the authenticity and integrity of X.509 certificates presented during secure communications. This weakness creates a significant attack surface that can be exploited by remote adversaries to establish fraudulent connections between clients and servers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate certificate validation mechanisms within the WebLogic Server's security framework. When WS-Security is enabled, the server should validate certificate chains to ensure they are issued by trusted Certificate Authorities and have not been tampered with during transmission. However, the flawed implementation allows attackers to present forged certificates that appear valid to the server, enabling them to intercept and potentially modify communications between legitimate parties. This weakness directly violates the fundamental principles of secure communication and trust establishment in web service environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it allows remote attackers to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks that can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data transmitted through the affected WebLogic servers. Attackers can exploit this flaw to eavesdrop on sensitive communications, inject malicious data into transactions, or completely disrupt service availability. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on WebLogic Server for mission-critical applications, potentially exposing financial data, personal information, and other sensitive business assets. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to the network or server infrastructure to exploit this weakness.
Organizations affected by CVE-2007-0411 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches released for the affected WebLogic Server versions, strengthening certificate management practices, and implementing additional security controls such as certificate pinning. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-295, which addresses improper certificate validation, and corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1573.002 related to securing communications protocols. Security teams should also consider deploying network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish robust certificate lifecycle management processes to prevent similar issues in the future. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate other potential certificate validation weaknesses in the enterprise security infrastructure.