CVE-2014-3063 in InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management - Collaborative Edition 10.x before 10.1-FP11 and 11.x before 11.0-FP5 and InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management 9.x before 9.1-FP15 and 10.x and 11.x before 11.3-IF2 allow local users to obtain administrator privileges via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3063 affects IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management products, specifically targeting Collaborative Edition versions 10.x before 10.1-FP11 and 11.x before 11.0-FP5, as well as Product Information Management Server versions 9.x before 9.1-FP15 and 10.x and 11.x before 11.3-IF2. This represents a local privilege escalation flaw that enables unauthorized local users to elevate their privileges to administrator level without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and privilege management within the application's authentication and authorization framework, creating a critical security gap that could be exploited by malicious actors with local system access. The unspecified vectors suggest that the flaw may involve multiple attack pathways including improper privilege checks, insecure credential handling, or flawed access control implementations that allow local users to bypass normal security boundaries.
This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-276, which describes "Incorrect Permissions for Critical Resource", and potentially CWE-269, "Improper Privilege Management", as it involves unauthorized elevation of privileges within a system. The security implications extend beyond simple local privilege escalation to include potential data compromise, system integrity violations, and unauthorized administrative access to master data management systems that often contain sensitive business-critical information. The affected IBM products serve as central repositories for master data management, making the exploitation of such vulnerabilities particularly dangerous as they could lead to complete system compromise and unauthorized access to master data assets.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations relying on IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management systems, as local users with minimal privileges could gain full administrative control over critical data management infrastructure. Attackers could exploit this flaw to modify or delete master data records, alter system configurations, create backdoor accounts, or access sensitive information that should only be available to authorized administrators. The impact extends to business continuity and regulatory compliance, as unauthorized access to master data could result in data integrity issues, audit trail manipulation, and potential violations of data protection regulations. The vulnerability affects organizations that depend on centralized master data management systems for critical business processes, making it a high-priority concern for security teams managing enterprise data infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and fixes for the affected versions, conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their InfoSphere deployments, and implementing additional access controls and monitoring for local system users. System administrators should review and tighten local user access policies, implement least privilege principles, and establish robust monitoring for suspicious privilege escalation activities. The remediation process should include verifying that all affected systems have received the appropriate cumulative fixes, such as IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management 10.1-FP11, 11.0-FP5, 9.1-FP15, and 11.3-IF2 updates, while also considering the implementation of additional security controls like privilege separation, access logging, and regular security audits. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to privilege escalation attempts and ensure that system configurations align with security best practices for master data management environments.