CVE-2013-4013 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 6.2 through 6.2.8, 7.1 through 7.1.1.12, and 7.5 before 7.5.0.2 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2018
IBM Maximo Asset Management versions 6.2 through 6.2.8, 7.1 through 7.1.1.12, and 7.5 before 7.5.0.2 contain a vulnerability that permits remote attackers to access sensitive information through unspecified attack vectors. This vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure flaws, which represent a significant security risk as they can expose confidential data to unauthorized parties without requiring authentication or privileged access. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways exist for exploitation, potentially including API endpoints, web interfaces, or backend services that mishandle sensitive data retrieval requests. The vulnerability is particularly concerning given that Maximo Asset Management is widely used in enterprise environments for critical asset tracking and maintenance operations, making it an attractive target for threat actors seeking to gain intelligence about organizational infrastructure and operational details.
The technical flaw manifests as insufficient access controls or improper data validation mechanisms within the application's information retrieval processes. Attackers can leverage this weakness to extract sensitive data such as user credentials, system configurations, asset information, maintenance records, and potentially business-critical operational data. The vulnerability likely stems from inadequate input sanitization, improper privilege enforcement, or insecure direct object references that allow unauthorized access to data that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. This type of vulnerability commonly maps to CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework, indicating both information disclosure and access control weaknesses. The impact is amplified by the fact that Maximo is typically deployed in production environments where it manages critical infrastructure data, making the potential exposure of such information particularly damaging from a business continuity and regulatory compliance perspective.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement, and comprehensive reconnaissance of the target environment. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can gain insights into organizational asset management strategies, maintenance schedules, and operational workflows that could be leveraged for targeted attacks against other systems or for competitive intelligence gathering. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version ranges indicates that it was likely a persistent flaw in the application's architecture, affecting organizations across different deployment scenarios and potentially impacting various industry sectors including manufacturing, utilities, and government agencies that rely on Maximo for critical operations. This widespread impact makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it affects a substantial portion of enterprises using IBM's asset management platform.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from IBM, reviewing and strengthening access controls, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure of the Maximo application, and conducting thorough security assessments of all related systems. The recommended approach aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) which are commonly employed by threat actors after initial access is gained through information disclosure vulnerabilities. Additional defensive measures should include monitoring for unusual data access patterns, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests, and establishing comprehensive logging and alerting mechanisms to identify potential exploitation attempts. Regular security testing and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other enterprise applications and ensure that the security posture remains robust against evolving threat landscapes.