CVE-2014-0873 in Infosphere Master Data Management Server
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in the (1) Data Stewardship, (2) Business Admin, and (3) Product interfaces in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management (MDM) Server 8.5 before 8.5.0.82, 9.0.1 before 9.0.1.38, 9.0.2 before 9.0.2.35, 10.0 before 10.0.0.0.26, and 10.1 before 10.1.0.0.15 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/08/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0873 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server across multiple versions. This vulnerability exists within three distinct interfaces: Data Stewardship, Business Admin, and Product interfaces, making it particularly dangerous as it impacts core administrative and data management functionalities. The flaw allows remote attackers to hijack user authentications without requiring any privileged access or credentials, creating a severe risk to enterprise data integrity and system security.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF mechanisms within the affected IBM MDM Server interfaces. When users navigate to malicious websites or click on compromised links, the system processes requests without verifying the authenticity of the origin, enabling attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This weakness directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for Initial Access through spearphishing attachments. The vulnerability affects versions prior to specific patch releases including 8.5.0.82, 9.0.1.38, 9.0.2.35, 10.0.0.0.26, and 10.1.0.0.15, indicating that IBM recognized and addressed this issue through targeted security updates.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for organizations utilizing IBM InfoSphere MDM Server, as it could enable attackers to perform critical administrative functions such as creating new user accounts, modifying existing data, changing system configurations, and potentially accessing sensitive master data. Given that these interfaces handle business-critical data management operations, unauthorized access could result in data corruption, unauthorized data modification, privilege escalation, and complete compromise of master data integrity. The vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where MDM systems manage critical business data, making it attractive to both cybercriminals and nation-state actors targeting industrial control systems and enterprise infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the relevant security patches released by IBM to address the specific versions affected by CVE-2014-0873. Additional protective measures include implementing proper CSRF token validation mechanisms, configuring web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious cross-site requests, and establishing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities within their IBM MDM deployments and related applications. The remediation process should align with industry standards such as NIST SP 800-53 controls for access control and vulnerability management, ensuring that organizations maintain compliance with regulatory requirements while strengthening their overall security posture against similar threats.