CVE-2011-1312 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Administrative Console component in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1.0.x before 6.1.0.31 and 7.x before 7.0.0.15 does not prevent modifications of the primary admin id, which allows remote authenticated administrators to bypass intended access restrictions by mapping a (1) user or (2) group to an administrator role.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1312 resides within the Administrative Console component of IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 6.1.0.x prior to 6.1.0.31 and 7.x prior to 7.0.0.15. This security flaw represents a critical access control weakness that undermines the fundamental security model of the application server. The issue specifically affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that govern administrative privileges within the WAS environment, creating a pathway for malicious actors to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper validation of administrative identity modifications within the console interface. When administrators attempt to modify the primary administrative identity, the system fails to enforce proper access controls that would normally prevent unauthorized changes to administrative roles and permissions. This vulnerability operates under the Common Weakness Enumeration category of CWE-284, which encompasses improper access control issues. The flaw allows authenticated users to manipulate the mapping between user accounts and administrative roles, effectively enabling privilege escalation through role assignment manipulation rather than direct credential compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access control bypass to encompass potential system compromise and data exposure. An attacker with valid administrative credentials can exploit this weakness to map additional users or groups to administrator roles, effectively creating backdoors within the system. This allows for persistent access to critical administrative functions such as application deployment, configuration changes, and user management operations. The vulnerability's remote nature means that authenticated attackers can exploit it from external networks, making it particularly dangerous in production environments where administrative access is frequently required for system maintenance and management tasks.
The attack vector for this vulnerability follows the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the 'Valid Accounts' and 'Modify Authentication Process' tactics. Attackers can leverage their existing administrative access to manipulate role mappings and then use these newly assigned privileges to perform actions that would normally be restricted. This creates a scenario where legitimate administrative users can be exploited to gain additional unauthorized privileges, making detection particularly challenging. The vulnerability affects the core security architecture of IBM WebSphere Application Server, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code, modify critical system configurations, or access sensitive data through the elevated administrative privileges.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches released for IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 6.1.0.31 and 7.0.0.15, which address the improper access control mechanisms. Additional protective measures include implementing strict network segmentation to limit access to administrative consoles, enforcing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and conducting regular audits of role assignments and user permissions. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual role mapping activities and unauthorized administrative access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control validation in enterprise application servers and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of administrative interfaces to prevent similar privilege escalation scenarios.