CVE-2012-4850 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 Liberty Profile before 8.5.0.1, when JAX-RS is used, does not properly validate requests, which allows remote attackers to gain privileges via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4850 affects IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty Profile version 8.5.0.0 and earlier, specifically when the Java API for RESTful Web Services JAX-RS functionality is enabled. This represents a critical security flaw that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the server's request processing pipeline. The vulnerability exists in the server's handling of RESTful web service requests and creates an avenue for privilege escalation attacks that could be exploited by remote adversaries without authentication.
The technical flaw manifests in the server's insufficient validation of incoming HTTP requests when JAX-RS is active, creating a path for malicious actors to manipulate request parameters or headers in ways that bypass normal access controls. This weakness allows attackers to potentially execute unauthorized operations or access restricted resources through unspecified vectors that leverage the server's RESTful service capabilities. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it affects the Liberty Profile, which is designed for lightweight deployment scenarios and often runs in environments where security controls may be less stringent than in full enterprise deployments.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability exposes organizations to significant risk as remote attackers can potentially gain elevated privileges within the application server environment. The attack surface expands when considering that JAX-RS is commonly used for building web services that may interact with backend systems, databases, or other sensitive components. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple exploitation paths may exist, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be leveraged in various ways depending on the specific application configuration and the attacker's objectives. This weakness directly impacts the server's integrity and authentication mechanisms, potentially allowing for data theft, service disruption, or further lateral movement within the network infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch or upgrade to IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty Profile version 8.5.0.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability. The fix addresses the input validation issues by implementing proper request sanitization and authentication checks for JAX-RS endpoints. Security teams should also conduct thorough assessments of their current deployments to identify any systems running vulnerable versions and ensure that all RESTful services are properly configured with appropriate access controls. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes "Improper Input Validation," and may map to ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and initial access through web application exploitation. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring for unusual RESTful service requests as additional defensive measures while the primary patch is deployed.