CVE-2011-2908 in JBoss Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the JMX Console (jmx-console) in JBoss Enterprise Portal Platform before 5.2.2, BRMS Platform 5.3.0 before roll up patch1, and SOA Platform 5.3.0 allows remote authenticated users to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that perform operations on MBeans and possibly execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2025
The CVE-2011-2908 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within the JMX Console component of several JBoss platform products including Enterprise Portal Platform, BRMS Platform, and SOA Platform. This vulnerability resides in the authentication mechanisms that govern access to Management Beans (MBeans) through the JMX Console interface, which serves as a management and monitoring portal for JBoss applications. The flaw specifically affects versions prior to 5.2.2 for Enterprise Portal Platform, and before roll up patch1 for BRMS and SOA Platforms, making these versions particularly susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation within the JMX Console's request processing pipeline. When authenticated users navigate to the JMX Console, their session credentials are automatically included in subsequent requests without proper verification of the request origin. This allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or exploit existing vulnerabilities in other parts of the application to trick authenticated users into executing unauthorized operations against the MBean server. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the management interface level where operations can directly manipulate the underlying application state and potentially execute arbitrary code on the server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform operations that could compromise the entire application server. MBean operations often include capabilities to deploy new applications, modify existing configurations, access sensitive data, and potentially execute code on the target system. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to the application server, escalate privileges beyond the initial authenticated session, and potentially use the compromised server as a launching point for further attacks within the network infrastructure. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires only that the victim be authenticated to the JMX Console, which often occurs in administrative contexts where users maintain elevated privileges.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts and T1566.001, which encompasses spearphishing via web applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing proper request origin validation and anti-CSRF token mechanisms in management interfaces, particularly those that provide administrative access to core application components. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management strategies to address this vulnerability, as the affected platforms represent core infrastructure components that require continuous security monitoring and updating. The remediation process involves applying the appropriate vendor patches and ensuring that all management interfaces implement proper CSRF protection mechanisms to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future deployments.
The broader implications of this vulnerability highlight the importance of security in application management interfaces, where the privilege levels and operational capabilities can significantly impact overall system security. Organizations should conduct regular security assessments of their management interfaces and implement robust access controls, session management, and monitoring capabilities to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability also underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all application components, as management interfaces often receive less scrutiny than application logic but can provide the most direct path to system compromise.