CVE-2014-3058 in WebSphere DataPower XC10
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability on the IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 appliance 2.1 and 2.5 before FP4 allows remote authenticated users to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/07/2017
The CVE-2014-3058 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting IBM WebSphere DataPower XC10 appliances running versions 2.1 and 2.5 before fix pack 4. This vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the appliance's authentication mechanisms, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on DataPower for API management and security services. The flaw stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the appliance's web interface.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when authenticated users interact with the DataPower XC10 appliance's web administration interface. Attackers can craft malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate authenticated sessions, enabling them to execute arbitrary actions on behalf of other users. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows attackers to inject cross-site scripting sequences into the appliance's configuration, potentially leading to complete compromise of the appliance's administrative functions. This flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities in web applications. The vulnerability operates through the HTTP protocol where the appliance fails to properly validate the referer header or implement anti-CSRF tokens that would prevent unauthorized requests from being processed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as it enables attackers to manipulate the appliance's configuration through XSS injection. This creates a persistent threat where attackers can establish backdoors, modify security policies, or redirect traffic to malicious endpoints. The vulnerability affects organizations that depend on DataPower appliances for critical API management and security functions, potentially leading to data breaches, service disruption, and compliance violations. The risk is amplified because the appliance serves as a gateway for enterprise security policies, making successful exploitation equivalent to gaining control over critical infrastructure. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1071.004 for Application Layer Protocol and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers could leverage this flaw to establish persistent access through crafted web requests.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided fix pack 4 for versions 2.1 and 2.5, enabling proper session management controls, and implementing network segmentation to limit access to the appliance's administrative interface. Additional defensive measures include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, implementing strict access controls with multi-factor authentication, and conducting regular security assessments of the appliance configuration. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical infrastructure components. Security teams should also monitor for suspicious administrative activities and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing appliance compromise scenarios. Organizations with legacy systems should prioritize upgrading to supported versions to avoid similar vulnerabilities that may remain unpatched in older releases.