CVE-2010-2644 in WebSphere Service Registry
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (WSRR) 7.0.0 before FP1 does not properly implement access control, which allows remote attackers to perform governance actions via unspecified API requests to an EJB interface.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2021
IBM WebSphere Service Registry and Repository version 7.0.0 before fix pack 1 contains a critical access control vulnerability that undermines the security posture of enterprise service governance systems. This vulnerability resides within the EJB interface of the WSRR component, where improper access control mechanisms fail to validate user permissions before executing governance operations. The flaw enables remote attackers to bypass authentication requirements and perform unauthorized administrative actions through unspecified API requests, potentially compromising the integrity and availability of service registries and repository data. This issue directly relates to CWE-284 which addresses improper access control vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential harvesting through API manipulation. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on WSRR for managing enterprise service catalogs, where unauthorized access could lead to service disruption, data tampering, or exposure of sensitive service metadata.
The technical implementation of this access control flaw stems from insufficient validation of caller credentials within the EJB interface components responsible for governance operations. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious API requests that target the EJB endpoints without proper authentication tokens or session validation. The unspecified nature of the API requests suggests that multiple governance functions may be affected, including service registration, modification, deletion, and administrative configuration changes. This vulnerability represents a fundamental failure in the principle of least privilege, where the system grants elevated permissions to unauthenticated or improperly authenticated users. The EJB interface typically handles sensitive operations such as policy enforcement, service lifecycle management, and registry modifications, making this access control bypass particularly dangerous for enterprise service management environments.
Operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate unauthorized access to encompass broader service governance risks that can compromise enterprise architecture integrity. Organizations using WSRR for managing critical business services face potential exposure of service contracts, endpoint information, and governance policies to unauthorized parties. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can target these systems from outside the corporate network, potentially leading to service disruption or data compromise without requiring physical access or insider knowledge. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of service registry data, which serves as the foundation for enterprise service management and integration platforms. The impact is particularly severe in regulated environments where service governance data must maintain strict access controls and audit trails, as unauthorized modifications could violate compliance requirements and expose organizations to regulatory penalties.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying IBM fix pack 1 for WebSphere Service Registry and Repository 7.0.0 to address the access control implementation flaws. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to WSRR EJB interfaces to trusted administrative networks only, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect anomalous API access patterns. Additional defensive measures include implementing strong authentication mechanisms, enabling detailed logging of governance operations, and conducting regular security assessments of service registry components. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access control implementation in enterprise service management systems and demonstrates the critical need for regular security updates and patch management processes. Organizations should also consider implementing privilege separation techniques and role-based access controls to minimize the impact of potential access control bypasses, ensuring that even if one component is compromised, the overall system security posture remains intact.