CVE-2013-0507 in InfoSphere Information Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 8.1, 8.5, 8.7, 9.1 has a Session Fixation Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2021
IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 8.1, 8.5, 8.7, and 9.1 contain a session fixation vulnerability that allows authenticated users to manipulate session identifiers and potentially gain unauthorized access to systems. This vulnerability resides in the web application's session management implementation where the system fails to properly invalidate or regenerate session tokens upon successful authentication, creating a persistent session identifier that can be exploited by attackers. The flaw specifically affects the authentication mechanism within the information server's web interface, where session cookies are not adequately handled during the login process. According to CWE-384, this represents a session fixation weakness that enables attackers to hijack user sessions by leveraging predictable or unchanged session identifiers. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to implement proper session management protocols, allowing an attacker who has obtained a valid session identifier to maintain access to the system even after legitimate users have authenticated. This weakness falls under the ATT&CK technique T1563.002 for "Access Token Manipulation" and can be leveraged for privilege escalation and persistent access to sensitive data within the information server environment. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking as it can enable attackers to perform administrative actions, access confidential information, and potentially compromise the entire information server infrastructure. The session fixation occurs because the system does not properly implement the session regeneration process that should occur after successful authentication, leaving the original session token valid and usable by unauthorized parties. This vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where InfoSphere Information Server handles sensitive business data and requires robust authentication controls. Organizations using these affected versions should immediately implement mitigations including session token regeneration upon authentication, proper session invalidation, and regular security assessments to detect and remediate similar session management flaws. The vulnerability demonstrates a critical gap in the application's security architecture and highlights the importance of following secure coding practices for session management as outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST SP 800-53 security standards. Proper implementation of session management controls including token regeneration, secure cookie attributes, and session timeout mechanisms would prevent this vulnerability from being exploited. The affected systems should be updated to patched versions that address the session fixation issue and implement comprehensive session management policies to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts and ensure that all web applications within their environment properly handle session identifiers to maintain the integrity of authentication processes and protect against session hijacking attacks.