CVE-2014-3084 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 6.1 through 6.5, 7.1 through 7.1.1.13, and 7.5 through 7.5.0.6; Maximo Asset Management 7.5.0 through 7.5.0.3 and 7.5.1 through 7.5.1.2 for SmartCloud Control Desk; and Maximo Asset Management 6.2.8, 7.1, and 7.2 for Tivoli IT Asset Management for IT and certain other products allow remote authenticated users to bypass intended write-access restrictions on calendar entries via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2022
This vulnerability affects IBM Maximo Asset Management versions spanning multiple release lines including 6.1 through 6.5, 7.1 through 7.1.1.13, 7.5 through 7.5.0.6, and specific versions of SmartCloud Control Desk and Tivoli IT Asset Management products. The flaw represents a privilege escalation issue where authenticated users can bypass intended write-access restrictions on calendar entries, potentially allowing unauthorized modification of critical scheduling data. This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient authorization checks as defined by CWE-284, specifically targeting access control mechanisms that should prevent users from modifying calendar entries they do not have proper write permissions for.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability appears to involve weaknesses in the access control validation logic within the calendar management component of these Maximo versions. Attackers who have authenticated access to the system can exploit this flaw to manipulate calendar entries regardless of their assigned user roles or permission levels. The unspecified vectors suggest that the bypass could occur through various methods including direct API calls, web interface manipulation, or potentially through crafted requests that circumvent normal authorization checks. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and privilege escalation through unauthorized access to restricted functions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple calendar manipulation as calendar entries often contain critical scheduling information for maintenance activities, resource allocation, and operational planning. An attacker could potentially disrupt business operations by modifying scheduled maintenance windows, altering resource availability, or manipulating project timelines. The vulnerability affects organizations using Maximo Asset Management across various industries including manufacturing, utilities, and government sectors where asset management and scheduling are critical to operations. The widespread affected versions indicate this was a significant issue affecting multiple product lines and release cycles, making it particularly concerning for large enterprise deployments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates, reviewing and strengthening access control policies, and conducting thorough security assessments of calendar-related functionality. Network segmentation and monitoring of calendar access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper access control implementation in enterprise asset management systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of authorization mechanisms. Regular security audits and privileged access reviews should be implemented to prevent similar issues in other components of the Maximo platform. This vulnerability also underscores the necessity of following security best practices such as principle of least privilege and regular security updates to maintain system integrity and protect against unauthorized access to critical business data.