CVE-2013-6308 in Marketing Platform
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Marketing Platform 9.1 before FP2 allows remote authenticated users to conduct phishing attacks and capture login credentials via an unspecified injection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6308 affects IBM Marketing Platform version 9.1 prior to fix pack 2, representing a critical security flaw that enables authenticated attackers to execute phishing attacks and capture login credentials through unspecified injection techniques. This vulnerability exists within the platform's authentication and session management mechanisms, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on the marketing platform for customer engagement and data processing activities. The unspecified nature of the injection vector suggests a potential cross-site scripting or injection flaw that could be exploited by malicious actors with valid credentials to manipulate the authentication flow and capture sensitive user information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability likely involves the platform's handling of user input or session tokens that do not properly validate or sanitize data before processing. This weakness allows an authenticated user to inject malicious content that can redirect users to fraudulent login pages or capture credentials during legitimate authentication processes. The attack vector typically requires the adversary to already possess valid credentials to the system, making this a privilege escalation or credential theft vulnerability rather than a direct authentication bypass. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 Cross-Site Scripting and CWE-89 SQL Injection categories, depending on the specific implementation details, and represents a significant concern for organizations that handle sensitive customer data through the marketing platform.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations using IBM Marketing Platform, as it enables attackers to harvest login credentials from legitimate users who may be tricked into entering their information on manipulated pages. The phishing capability extends beyond simple credential theft to potentially enable broader access to customer databases, marketing campaigns, and sensitive business information. Organizations may experience data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and reputational damage when such vulnerabilities are exploited. The attack requires minimal technical expertise to execute, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by both sophisticated threat actors and less skilled attackers. This vulnerability also impacts the platform's integrity and trustworthiness in enterprise environments where marketing automation and customer data management are critical business functions.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-6308 should prioritize immediate implementation of IBM's recommended fix pack 2 or equivalent security updates to address the underlying injection flaw. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring of authentication logs and user sessions to detect anomalous behavior that may indicate credential harvesting attempts. Network security controls including web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to detect and block suspicious injection patterns targeting the marketing platform. Security awareness training for users should emphasize the importance of verifying login page authenticity and recognizing phishing attempts. Additionally, organizations should implement multi-factor authentication and regular security assessments of their marketing platform configurations to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the security updates to ensure they do not disrupt legitimate platform functionality while effectively addressing the credential capture vulnerability. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against credential theft and phishing attacks in enterprise marketing platforms.