CVE-2012-3294 in WebSphere MQ
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the Web Gateway component in IBM WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition 7.0.4 and earlier, and WebSphere MQ - Managed File Transfer 7.5, allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that (1) add user accounts via the /wmqfteconsole/Filespaces URI, (2) modify permissions via the /wmqfteconsole/FileSpacePermisssions URI, or (3) add MQ Message Descriptor (MQMD) user accounts via the /wmqfteconsole/UploadUsers URI.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/14/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-3294 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition and Managed File Transfer components. This vulnerability affects versions 7.0.4 and earlier of WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition, as well as WebSphere MQ - Managed File Transfer 7.5, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these file transfer solutions. The flaw resides in the Web Gateway component which handles authentication and authorization for various administrative functions within the file transfer environment.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms in three specific URI endpoints within the web console interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or email attachments that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable URIs without user consent. The three targeted endpoints include /wmqfteconsole/Filespaces for adding user accounts, /wmqfteconsole/FileSpacePermisssions for modifying permissions, and /wmqfteconsole/UploadUsers for adding MQ Message Descriptor user accounts. These endpoints lack sufficient validation to ensure that requests originate from legitimate authenticated sessions rather than malicious third-party sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it allows remote attackers to perform administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. An attacker could potentially add new user accounts with elevated privileges, modify existing permissions to gain unauthorized access to file spaces, or upload malicious user accounts that could compromise the entire file transfer infrastructure. This creates a persistent threat vector that could lead to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or disruption of critical file transfer operations. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on automated file transfers and require strict access controls for their messaging infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of IBM WebSphere MQ File Transfer Edition and Managed File Transfer, implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, and conducting thorough security assessments of their file transfer environments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for suspicious administrative activities, and establishing robust incident response procedures to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. Additional defensive measures include enabling web application firewalls, implementing proper session management, and ensuring that administrative interfaces are not directly exposed to untrusted networks.