CVE-2012-5478 in JBoss Enterprise BRMS Platform
Summary
by MITRE
The AuthorizationInterceptor in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (EAP) 5.2.0, Web Platform (EWP) 5.2.0, and BRMS Platform before 5.3.1 does not properly restrict access, which allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended role restrictions and perform arbitrary JMX operations via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5478 represents a critical authorization flaw within the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform and related products. This issue stems from the improper implementation of access controls within the AuthorizationInterceptor component, which serves as a crucial security mechanism for enforcing role-based access restrictions. The flaw affects JBoss EAP 5.2.0, EWP 5.2.0, and BRMS Platform versions prior to 5.3.1, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms for enterprise application deployment and management.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the AuthorizationInterceptor's failure to properly validate and enforce role-based access controls for JMX (Java Management Extensions) operations. JMX provides monitoring and management capabilities for Java applications, making it a prime target for attackers seeking elevated privileges. When the authorization interceptor fails to properly restrict access, authenticated users can exploit this weakness to bypass intended security boundaries and execute unauthorized JMX operations that should be restricted to specific administrative roles. This misconfiguration allows attackers to perform operations such as viewing sensitive system information, modifying application configurations, or even deploying malicious code through the management interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the affected JBoss platforms. Remote authenticated users who can access the management interfaces can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to critical system functions that should remain restricted to privileged administrators. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to complete system compromise when combined with other attack vectors. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, potentially including various JMX operation types or management interface endpoints that are not properly validated.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official security patches provided by Red Hat, as the flaw enables unauthorized access to sensitive management functions that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization issues, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" in the adversary tactics framework. Security teams should implement additional monitoring for unusual JMX activity and review access controls for management interfaces. The remediation process requires careful attention to ensure that the patch does not introduce compatibility issues with existing applications, while also implementing proper network segmentation to limit access to management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only.