CVE-2013-5431 in Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager (TFIM) 6.1.1 before IF 15, 6.2.0 before IF 14, 6.2.1, and 6.2.2 before IF 8 and Tivoli Federated Identity Manager Business Gateway (TFIMBG) 6.1.1 before IF 15, 6.2.0 before IF 14, 6.2.1, and 6.2.2 before IF 8 allows remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2024
The CVE-2013-5431 vulnerability represents a critical open redirect flaw within IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager and its associated Business Gateway components. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the authentication and redirection mechanisms of these identity management systems, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate user navigation flows. The issue affects multiple versions of the software including TFIM 6.1.1 through 6.2.2 and TFIMBG 6.1.1 through 6.2.2, with specific patches required for each version line to address the vulnerability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by authenticated users, will redirect them to arbitrary external web sites. This occurs because the system fails to properly validate redirect targets against a whitelist of approved domains or perform adequate sanitization of redirect parameters. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including crafted links in email messages, malicious web pages, or through social engineering techniques that trick users into clicking on compromised navigation elements. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in input validation and can be mapped to CWE-601 Open Redirect, which specifically addresses the risk of redirecting users to untrusted websites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks, creating significant security risks for organizations relying on these identity management systems. Attackers can leverage this flaw to conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns where users are redirected from legitimate company portals to attacker-controlled sites designed to harvest credentials or sensitive information. The vulnerability undermines the trust relationship between the identity provider and relying party applications, potentially leading to credential theft, data breaches, and unauthorized access to protected resources. Organizations may experience reputational damage and regulatory compliance issues if users fall victim to these attacks, particularly in environments where sensitive data is managed through the affected systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-5431 require immediate patching of affected systems with the appropriate IBM security fixes, as outlined in their respective interim fixes. Organizations should implement additional network-level controls including web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious redirect patterns, and establish strict domain whitelisting policies for all redirect destinations within the identity management infrastructure. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software versions and ensure that proper access controls are in place to limit exposure. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing security awareness training for users to recognize potential phishing attempts that may exploit such redirect mechanisms. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving initial access through social engineering and credential access via phishing, making it a critical component in the attack chain that organizations must address through layered defensive measures.