CVE-2013-5427 in InfoSphere
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management - Collaborative Edition 10.x before 10.1 FP8 through 11.0 and InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management 9.0 and 9.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2021
The CVE-2013-5427 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management products, specifically targeting Collaborative Edition versions 10.x before 10.1 FP8 and 11.0, as well as Product Information Management Server versions 9.0 and 9.1. This vulnerability resides within the authentication mechanisms of these master data management platforms, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on these systems for critical data governance operations. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the lack of proper anti-CSRF protections, allowing them to manipulate authenticated sessions and potentially execute unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can lead to complete session hijacking and unauthorized administrative operations within the master data management environment.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper request validation mechanisms within the web application's authentication flow. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that leverage existing authenticated sessions without requiring knowledge of user credentials. This weakness allows unauthorized modification of master data records, creation of new user accounts, or execution of administrative functions that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability manifests when the application fails to verify the origin of requests, relying instead on session cookies alone for authentication validation. This design flaw creates a pathway for attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated users, potentially leading to complete compromise of the master data management environment.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-5427 is severe for organizations utilizing IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management systems, as it directly compromises the integrity and confidentiality of master data assets. Attackers could manipulate critical business data, create unauthorized access points, or disrupt data governance processes that are fundamental to enterprise operations. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations with complex data management workflows where master data serves as the foundation for various business applications and reporting systems. Successful exploitation could result in data corruption, unauthorized data access, or complete loss of control over master data management functions, potentially affecting downstream applications that depend on accurate master data. The risk is compounded by the fact that these systems often contain sensitive business information and regulatory data that requires strict access controls and audit trails.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of proper CSRF token validation mechanisms within the affected IBM InfoSphere applications, ensuring that all state-changing operations require verification of legitimate user intent through anti-CSRF tokens. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional protective layers to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Regular security updates and patches from IBM should be applied immediately upon availability, while organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their master data management environments to identify potential exploitation vectors. The implementation of multi-factor authentication and enhanced session management protocols can further reduce the attack surface. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through social engineering and T1078 for valid accounts usage, highlighting the critical nature of proper authentication controls in enterprise data management systems.