CVE-2013-3029 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Administrative console in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1 before 6.1.0.47, 7.0 before 7.0.0.31, 8.0 before 8.0.0.7, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert cross-site scripting (XSS) sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2021
The CVE-2013-3029 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM WebSphere Application Server administrative console components. This vulnerability exists across multiple versions of the application server including 6.1.0.46 and earlier, 7.0.0.30 and earlier, 8.0.0.6 and earlier, and 8.5.5.0 and earlier releases. The flaw specifically targets the administrative console interface which serves as the primary management interface for configuring and controlling web applications within the IBM WebSphere environment.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the administrative console. When administrators access the WebSphere administrative console, the system should verify that requests originate from legitimate sources and contain appropriate authentication tokens to prevent unauthorized operations. However, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed through the administrative console without proper authentication verification. The attack vector specifically enables the insertion of cross-site scripting sequences, which creates a dangerous combination where CSRF attacks can simultaneously exploit both authentication bypass and XSS vulnerabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to administrative functions. Attackers can leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary commands within the administrative context, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The ability to inject XSS sequences through the administrative console creates a persistent threat vector where malicious scripts can be stored and executed against other administrators or users who access the compromised interface. This dual nature of the vulnerability transforms a simple CSRF attack into a more sophisticated multi-stage exploit that can escalate privileges and maintain persistent access to the target environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1078 Valid Accounts and T1566 Phishing techniques, as attackers can leverage compromised administrative sessions to maintain access and potentially escalate privileges. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to exploit and can be automated through various web-based attack frameworks, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where administrative access is frequently used and potentially exposed to untrusted networks.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches for all affected versions of IBM WebSphere Application Server, enabling proper input validation and output encoding for administrative interfaces, and implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative consoles. Additional protective measures include deploying web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and conducting regular security assessments of administrative interfaces to identify similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust security monitoring to detect unauthorized administrative activities within enterprise environments.