CVE-2011-0316 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Administrative Console component in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1 before 6.1.0.35 and 7.0 before 7.0.0.15 does not properly restrict access to console servlets, which allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive status information via a direct request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/19/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0316 represents a critical access control flaw within IBM WebSphere Application Server's Administrative Console component. This issue affects versions 6.1 prior to 6.1.0.35 and 7.0 prior to 7.0.0.15, where the administrative interface fails to properly enforce authorization controls for console servlets. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of user privileges when processing direct requests to administrative endpoints, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to sensitive operational data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the console servlets' permission handling mechanisms, which do not adequately verify whether incoming requests originate from authenticated administrative users with appropriate privileges. This misconfiguration allows remote attackers to bypass normal access controls by directly accessing specific servlet endpoints that should only be available to authorized administrators. The flaw specifically impacts the authentication and authorization framework within the WebSphere console, where the system fails to properly validate user credentials and role-based access controls before serving administrative content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables attackers to obtain potentially sensitive status information that could reveal critical system details including application configurations, server health metrics, and operational parameters. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as this sensitive data could be leveraged to plan more sophisticated attacks against the WebSphere environment. Attackers could use the gathered information to identify system weaknesses, understand deployment patterns, and potentially escalate privileges within the application server environment. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and undermines the security posture of organizations relying on affected WebSphere versions.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1068, which involves exploiting remote services to gain access to administrative interfaces. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches for WebSphere Application Server versions 6.1.0.35 and 7.0.0.15, or upgrading to supported releases that contain proper access control implementations. Additional protective measures include network segmentation, implementing firewall rules to restrict access to administrative ports, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious direct servlet access patterns. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and proper access control configurations in enterprise application servers to prevent unauthorized administrative access and potential system compromise.