CVE-2012-0738 in Rational Policy Tester
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security AppScan Enterprise before 8.6.0.2 and Rational Policy Tester before 8.5.0.3 do not validate X.509 certificates during scanning, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via an arbitrary certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/04/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-0738 represents a critical weakness in IBM Security AppScan Enterprise and Rational Policy Tester software versions prior to 8.6.0.2 and 8.5.0.3 respectively. This flaw resides in the certificate validation mechanism during SSL scanning operations, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to conduct man-in-the-middle attacks. The vulnerability stems from the software's failure to properly validate X.509 certificates, which are fundamental components of secure communication protocols that establish trust between entities. When these applications perform security scans on SSL-enabled services, they accept any certificate presented without verifying its authenticity or legitimacy, thereby undermining the entire SSL/TLS security framework that organizations rely upon for secure communications.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability manifests as a failure in certificate chain validation and trust verification processes within the scanning tools. The software essentially acts as a passive observer in SSL connections without performing proper certificate validation, allowing attackers to present fraudulent certificates that appear legitimate to the scanning application. This behavior aligns with CWE-295, which specifically addresses improper certificate validation in security tools, and represents a classic example of how security tools themselves can become attack vectors when they fail to enforce proper security controls. The flaw operates at the application layer where SSL/TLS connections are established, making it particularly dangerous because the scanning tools are designed to identify security weaknesses in target systems while simultaneously becoming vulnerable to the very attacks they should prevent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple certificate validation failures, creating substantial risks for organizations that depend on these security scanning tools for their security posture assessments. Attackers can exploit this weakness to intercept communications between the scanning tool and target systems, potentially gaining access to sensitive data that would normally be protected by SSL/TLS encryption. This vulnerability directly enables attackers to establish false trust relationships with scanning tools, allowing them to conduct reconnaissance and potentially escalate privileges within the target environment. The implications are particularly severe for organizations that use these tools to scan critical infrastructure, as it essentially provides an attack surface that bypasses the very security controls the tools are meant to enforce. This vulnerability also intersects with several ATT&CK techniques including T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential access through social engineering, as it enables attackers to manipulate the scanning process itself.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations that include updating to the patched versions of IBM Security AppScan Enterprise 8.6.0.2 and Rational Policy Tester 8.5.0.3, which contain proper certificate validation mechanisms. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing additional monitoring and logging around SSL scanning activities to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to ensure that certificate validation is functioning correctly and that no unauthorized certificate authorities are trusted by the scanning tools. Organizations should also review their overall security posture to ensure that other security tools and processes are not similarly vulnerable to certificate validation failures, as this represents a broader class of weaknesses that can compromise the integrity of security scanning operations. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining proper certificate validation in security tools, as these applications often operate with elevated privileges and access to sensitive network resources, making their security paramount to overall organizational defense.