CVE-2013-3975 in Sametime Meeting Server
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in the Meeting Server in IBM Sametime 8.x through 8.5.2.1 and 9.x through 9.0.0.1 allows remote attackers to discover user names, full names, and e-mail addresses via a search.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3975 affects IBM Sametime Meeting Server versions 8.x through 8.5.2.1 and 9.x through 9.0.0.1, representing a significant information disclosure flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise communication systems. This vulnerability resides within the Meeting Server component of IBM Sametime, a unified communications platform that facilitates video conferencing, instant messaging, and collaboration services. The flaw allows remote attackers to perform unauthorized searches that reveal sensitive user information including usernames, full names, and email addresses without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. The unspecified nature of the vulnerability suggests it likely stems from inadequate input validation, improper access controls, or flawed search functionality within the server implementation that fails to properly restrict information exposure based on user privileges or session context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a search mechanism that does not adequately verify the identity or permissions of requesting users before returning user directory information. Attackers can leverage this flaw to enumerate user accounts and gather intelligence about the organization's communication infrastructure, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as social engineering campaigns, targeted phishing attempts, or credential stuffing attacks against identified user accounts. The vulnerability directly violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and information hiding, as it allows unauthorized discovery of user identity information that should remain protected within a secure enterprise environment. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-200 as "Information Exposure" and represents a classic example of how insufficient access controls can lead to unauthorized information disclosure in enterprise collaboration platforms.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-3975 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked user information can serve as a foundation for various attack vectors within the broader security landscape. Organizations utilizing affected IBM Sametime versions face increased risk of targeted attacks, as adversaries can use the discovered user data to craft more convincing social engineering attempts or to identify high-value targets within their workforce. The vulnerability also exposes potential attack surface for privilege escalation attempts, as the leaked information may reveal user roles, organizational hierarchies, or contact details that could be leveraged in further compromise attempts. This information disclosure aligns with ATT&CK technique T1087.001 "Account Discovery: Local Account" and T1589.001 "Gather Victim Identity Information" as it enables adversaries to collect user account information without requiring direct system access or credentials. The exposure of email addresses and full names particularly increases the risk of spear-phishing campaigns and credential-based attacks, as attackers can use this information to create more convincing phishing emails or to target specific individuals within the organization.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the Meeting Server, and configuring proper access controls to restrict search functionality. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and access control mechanisms in enterprise software, particularly in communication platforms where user information is frequently exposed during normal operations. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive audits of their communication infrastructure to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise collaboration tools and ensure that information disclosure risks are properly mitigated through proper access controls and monitoring. The incident underscores the necessity of regular security assessments and vulnerability management programs to identify and remediate information disclosure vulnerabilities that could compromise enterprise security posture and user privacy.