CVE-2012-2281 in RSA Access Manager
Summary
by MITRE
EMC RSA Access Manager Server 6.x before 6.1 SP4 and RSA Access Manager Agent do not properly validate session tokens after a logout, which might allow remote attackers to conduct replay attacks via unspecified vectors.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/01/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2281 affects EMC RSA Access Manager Server versions 6.x prior to 6.1 SP4 and the corresponding RSA Access Manager Agent components. This security flaw represents a critical session management weakness that undermines the authentication and authorization mechanisms within the RSA Access Manager ecosystem. The vulnerability specifically targets the session token validation process that occurs following user logout operations, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit the system's authentication state.
The technical flaw stems from improper session token validation after logout events, where the system fails to adequately invalidate or properly verify session identifiers that should no longer be active. This weakness allows attackers to potentially reuse valid session tokens that were established before logout occurred, effectively bypassing the intended session termination. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the vulnerability could be exploited through various attack paths including network-based reconnaissance, session hijacking, or man-in-the-middle attacks that capture valid session tokens during the logout transition period.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on RSA Access Manager for identity and access management. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can conduct replay attacks that allow unauthorized access to protected resources, potentially leading to data breaches, privilege escalation, and unauthorized system modifications. The impact extends beyond individual user sessions to potentially compromise entire organizational access control frameworks, especially in environments where RSA Access Manager serves as a central authentication point for multiple applications and services.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-305 authentication weaknesses and represents a specific instance of session management flaws that can be categorized under the ATT&CK framework's credential access and privilege escalation techniques. Organizations utilizing affected RSA Access Manager versions face heightened risk during logout transitions, as the system's failure to properly validate session tokens creates persistent access opportunities for threat actors. The exploitation of this vulnerability typically requires minimal technical expertise and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in environments with high user turnover or multiple concurrent sessions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2281 should prioritize immediate deployment of EMC RSA Access Manager 6.1 SP4 patches or equivalent security updates that address the session token validation issue. Organizations should implement additional monitoring controls to detect anomalous session behavior and establish robust session management policies that enforce strict token invalidation procedures. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other systems that might be vulnerable to similar session management flaws and establish incident response procedures specifically designed to handle authentication bypass scenarios. Regular security testing including penetration testing and security code reviews should be implemented to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future system deployments.