CVE-2013-4820 in IceWall File Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in HP IceWall SSO 8.0 through 10.0, IceWall SSO Agent Option 8.0 through 10.0, IceWall SSO Smart Device Option 10.0, IceWall SSO SAML2 Agent Option 8.0, IceWall SSO JAVA Agent Library 8.0 through 10.0, IceWall Federation Agent 3.0, and IceWall File Manager 3.0 through SP4 allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/07/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-4820 represents a critical information disclosure flaw affecting multiple components of HP IceWall Single Sign-On solutions. This unspecified vulnerability exists across various versions of HP IceWall products including SSO servers, agent options, federation agents, and file management systems. The affected software versions span from IceWall SSO 8.0 through 10.0, with specific components like the Smart Device Option 10.0 and JAVA Agent Library 8.0 through 10.0 also impacted. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that the exact technical mechanism remains undisclosed, which is common with early vulnerability disclosures or when the full scope of the issue requires further investigation by vendors and security researchers.
The security implications of this vulnerability are severe as it allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information through unknown vectors. This means that an attacker who has already gained authentication credentials can exploit this flaw to access confidential data that should remain protected. The fact that the vulnerability operates through unknown vectors suggests that the attack methodology may be complex or involve multiple exploitation techniques that were not fully characterized at the time of the CVE assignment. This type of vulnerability typically indicates a weakness in the application's data handling, access control mechanisms, or information flow management that allows unauthorized data exposure.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations relying on HP IceWall SSO solutions for identity management and access control. The attack surface is broad given the multiple affected components, potentially exposing user credentials, session information, or other sensitive data that flows through the SSO infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries can exploit this vulnerability from outside the organization's network, making it particularly dangerous for perimeter security. Organizations utilizing these specific versions of IceWall products face potential data breaches that could compromise user identities, access credentials, and sensitive organizational information, potentially leading to further lateral movement within networks or privilege escalation attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which covers "Information Exposure," and represents a classic example of how authentication bypass mechanisms or access control flaws can lead to information disclosure. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could map to techniques involving credential access and privilege escalation, as the ability to extract sensitive information from authenticated sessions represents a significant compromise of system integrity. Organizations should consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for unusual data access patterns, and conducting thorough vulnerability assessments of their IceWall implementations. The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate patching of affected versions, implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, and reviewing access controls and session management policies. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of their SSO infrastructure to identify potential additional vulnerabilities that may exist in related components or configurations.
The lack of specific technical details in the vulnerability description makes it challenging to develop precise defensive measures, but the fundamental principle remains that organizations must maintain up-to-date security patches and conduct regular security assessments. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive vulnerability management programs that include both automated scanning and manual security reviews of identity and access management systems. The affected HP IceWall products represent critical infrastructure components that require immediate attention, as information disclosure vulnerabilities of this nature can serve as entry points for more sophisticated attacks targeting organizational security boundaries.