CVE-2010-2280 in Lotus Connections
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in the Mobile component in IBM Lotus Connections 2.5.x before 2.5.0.2 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via unspecified vectors, related to "mobile edit actions," aka SPR ASRE83PPVH.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2280 represents a critical open redirect flaw within the Mobile component of IBM Lotus Connections version 2.5.x prior to 2.5.0.2. This security weakness specifically affects mobile edit actions and enables remote attackers to manipulate user navigation by redirecting them to arbitrary websites. The vulnerability falls under the category of insecure redirection as classified by CWE-601, where applications fail to properly validate redirect destinations, allowing malicious actors to craft deceptive links that appear legitimate to users.
The technical implementation of this flaw occurs within the mobile component's handling of edit actions, where insufficient input validation and output encoding allows attackers to inject malicious redirect parameters. When users interact with mobile edit functionality, the application processes these requests without adequate verification of the target URL, creating a pathway for attackers to specify any external domain as the redirect destination. This vulnerability directly relates to the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves phishing through spearphishing attachments and links, where the open redirect serves as an initial foothold for more sophisticated social engineering campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection, as it enables sophisticated phishing attacks that can compromise user credentials and sensitive information. Attackers can craft malicious URLs that appear to originate from legitimate Lotus Connections domains, tricking users into visiting malicious sites where they may unknowingly enter login credentials or other sensitive data. The vulnerability affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms of the platform, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges or gain unauthorized access to user accounts and their associated data within the Lotus Connections environment.
Organizations utilizing IBM Lotus Connections 2.5.x versions should prioritize immediate patching to address this vulnerability, as the remediation involves updating to version 2.5.0.2 or later where the mobile component properly validates redirect destinations. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious redirect patterns, configuring strict URL validation policies, and educating users about recognizing phishing attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation, particularly in mobile web applications where user trust and security are paramount considerations. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions that can detect anomalous redirect behavior and establish incident response procedures to address potential exploitation attempts.