CVE-2013-0482 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 7.0 before 7.0.0.29, 8.0 before 8.0.0.6, and 8.5 through 8.5.0.2 and WebSphere Message Broker 6.1, 7.0 through 7.0.0.5, and 8.0 through 8.0.0.2, when WS-Security is used, allows remote attackers to spoof the signatures of messages via a crafted SOAP message, related to a "Signature Wrap attack," a different vulnerability than CVE-2011-1377 and CVE-2013-0489.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2013-0482 represents a critical security flaw in IBM WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Message Broker implementations that specifically affects WS-Security message processing. This vulnerability enables remote attackers to perform signature spoofing attacks by manipulating SOAP messages through a technique known as "Signature Wrap attack." The flaw exists across multiple versions of IBM's middleware products, with affected releases including WebSphere Application Server 7.0 before 7.0.0.29, 8.0 before 8.0.0.6, and 8.5 through 8.5.0.2, as well as various versions of WebSphere Message Broker 6.1, 7.0, and 8.0. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it directly compromises the integrity and authenticity guarantees that WS-Security is designed to provide, creating a fundamental weakness in the security infrastructure of affected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper validation of XML signature structures within SOAP messages processed by the affected IBM products. When WS-Security is enabled for message authentication and integrity protection, the system should verify that signatures are properly constructed and that message content has not been tampered with. However, the Signature Wrap attack exploits a flaw in the XML signature processing logic that allows attackers to wrap or embed additional signature elements within crafted SOAP messages. This manipulation enables attackers to create messages that appear to be properly signed with valid certificates while actually containing unauthorized content. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-347 as "Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature," which specifically addresses weaknesses in signature validation mechanisms that fail to properly verify the integrity of signed data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple message integrity compromise, as it fundamentally undermines the trust model that WS-Security is intended to establish between communicating parties. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability to impersonate legitimate systems or users, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data or performing malicious operations within systems that rely on WS-Security for authentication. The attack requires only network access to send crafted SOAP messages, making it particularly dangerous in environments where WebSphere products handle sensitive business transactions or communicate across untrusted networks. Organizations that depend on message-level security for compliance with standards such as SOA governance, financial transaction security, or enterprise integration protocols face significant risk exposure. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to bypass security controls that are critical for maintaining data confidentiality and system integrity in distributed enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-0482 should focus on immediate patching of affected IBM products to the recommended versions that contain the security fixes. Organizations must also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems to untrusted networks. Additional defensive measures include implementing robust monitoring of SOAP message traffic for suspicious signature patterns, deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify malformed signature structures, and conducting thorough security assessments of all WebSphere deployments that utilize WS-Security. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as attackers can use the spoofed signatures to bypass authentication mechanisms and potentially avoid detection by security monitoring systems. Organizations should also consider implementing additional layers of security such as message encryption, certificate pinning, and regular security audits of their middleware infrastructure to reduce the overall attack surface and improve resilience against similar vulnerabilities.