CVE-2012-6356 in SmartCloud Control Desk
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.5, Maximo Asset Management Essentials 7.5, and SmartCloud Control Desk 7.5 allow remote authenticated users to gain privileges via vectors related to an import operation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-6356 affects IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.5, Maximo Asset Management Essentials 7.5, and SmartCloud Control Desk 7.5 versions, representing a significant privilege escalation risk within enterprise asset management systems. This flaw enables remote authenticated attackers to elevate their privileges through import operations, which typically involve data ingestion from external sources such as xml files, csv imports, or other data formats. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms during the import process, allowing maliciously crafted import files to manipulate system permissions and gain unauthorized administrative access. The issue is particularly concerning as it requires only authentication to exploit, meaning that an attacker with valid user credentials can leverage this weakness to escalate their privileges within the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the import functionality not properly validating the permissions or roles associated with imported data. When users perform import operations, the system should validate that the importing user has appropriate authorization levels to perform such actions and should sanitize all imported data to prevent privilege manipulation. However, in affected versions, the import process fails to adequately verify these security controls, potentially allowing an authenticated user to include malicious data within import files that can trigger privilege escalation. This behavior aligns with CWE-264, which covers permissions, privileges, and access control flaws, specifically addressing situations where insufficient checks are performed on user permissions during data processing operations. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input sanitization combined with inadequate access control validation during system data ingestion processes.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-6356 extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it can lead to complete system compromise when attackers leverage this vulnerability. Once elevated privileges are gained, attackers can modify critical system configurations, access sensitive data, manipulate asset management records, and potentially disrupt business operations. The vulnerability affects enterprise environments where these IBM products are deployed, potentially impacting organizations across various sectors including manufacturing, utilities, and government agencies that rely on asset management systems for critical operations. From an adversary perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation and defense evasion, as attackers can use the imported data to maintain persistence and avoid detection while operating with elevated system privileges. The remote nature of the attack means that exploitation can occur from outside the organization's network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that do not properly segment their network access or implement robust monitoring controls.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the affected systems, and establishing robust monitoring controls to detect unauthorized import operations. Additional security measures should include implementing strict access controls for import operations, requiring multi-factor authentication for administrative functions, and conducting regular security assessments of import functionality. The vulnerability highlights the importance of validating all user inputs during data processing operations and demonstrates why security controls must be implemented at multiple layers of the system architecture. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify similar issues within their IT infrastructure and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing privilege escalation vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of patched systems to ensure that legitimate import operations continue to function properly while the vulnerability is addressed, as these systems are critical to business operations and any disruption could impact asset management and operational efficiency.