CVE-2014-3061 in Emptoris Spend Analysis
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM Emptoris Spend Analysis 9.5.x before 9.5.0.4, 10.0.1.x before 10.0.1.3, and 10.0.2.x before 10.0.2.4 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/06/2018
The CVE-2014-3061 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM Emptoris Spend Analysis software across multiple version ranges. This vulnerability resides in the web application's authentication and session management mechanisms, specifically in how the application handles user requests and validates session tokens. The flaw enables remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can exploit the application's trust in authenticated sessions, potentially allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple CSRF attacks as it specifically allows for the insertion of XSS sequences, creating a compounded security risk that can escalate from session hijacking to client-side exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of cross-site requests within the application's web interface. IBM Emptoris Spend Analysis, designed for enterprise spend management and analysis, relies on session cookies and authentication tokens to maintain user sessions. However, the application fails to properly verify the origin of requests or validate that requests originate from legitimate user interactions within the application's domain. Attackers can leverage this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or embedding malicious links that, when visited by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable application. The vulnerability's designation as a CSRF flaw aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities where applications fail to validate request sources and authentication contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations utilizing IBM Emptoris Spend Analysis, particularly in enterprise environments where financial data and procurement processes are managed. When exploited, the vulnerability allows attackers to perform actions such as modifying user permissions, accessing sensitive financial data, or injecting malicious scripts that can persistently compromise user browsers. The inclusion of XSS sequence insertion capabilities transforms this vulnerability from a simple session hijacking attack into a more dangerous multi-vector exploit. This combination creates opportunities for attackers to establish persistent backdoors, steal session cookies, or redirect users to malicious sites, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects multiple version streams including 9.5.x, 10.0.1.x, and 10.0.2.x, indicating a widespread issue within the product line.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for IBM Emptoris Spend Analysis versions 9.5.0.4, 10.0.1.3, and 10.0.2.4. The recommended approach involves implementing proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms where each request must contain a unique, unpredictable token that ties to the user's session and origin. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS execution opportunities and ensure that all user inputs are properly sanitized. Network-level mitigations such as web application firewalls can provide additional protection by monitoring for suspicious request patterns and validating request integrity. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for "Phishing" and T1203 for "Exploitation for Client Execution" indicates that organizations should enhance their security awareness training and implement proper input validation controls to prevent exploitation through social engineering and automated attack vectors.