CVE-2014-4783 in Initiate Master Data Service
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM Initiate Master Data Service 9.5 before 9.5.093013, 9.7 before 9.7.093013, 10.0 before 10.0.093013, and 10.1 before 10.1.093013 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 • 03/16/2018
The CVE-2014-4783 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM Initiate Master Data Service across multiple version ranges including 9.5, 9.7, 10.0, and 10.1. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category of Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is a well-documented web application security weakness that allows attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication mechanisms of the master data service platform, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit user sessions and execute unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the web application's request processing. When users authenticate to the IBM Initiate Master Data Service, their session credentials are typically maintained through cookies or tokens that are automatically included with subsequent requests. However, this vulnerability allows remote attackers to craft malicious requests that can be executed in the context of authenticated users, leveraging the existing session to perform actions that the legitimate user did not authorize. The specific nature of the attack involves inserting XSS sequences into the system, which means that the CSRF attack is not merely limited to simple request manipulation but also includes the execution of malicious scripts within the victim's browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, particularly within enterprise environments that rely on master data management systems for critical business operations. Attackers could potentially hijack user sessions to insert malicious code, execute arbitrary commands, or manipulate master data records that are fundamental to business processes. The combination of CSRF and XSS capabilities creates a particularly dangerous attack vector where an attacker could not only impersonate legitimate users but also establish persistent malicious code execution within the victim's browser environment. This dual threat capability significantly amplifies the potential damage compared to traditional CSRF vulnerabilities that typically only allow for simple request manipulation without the additional payload execution component.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of IBM Initiate Master Data Service face substantial risk from this vulnerability, as it could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive master data, modify critical business information, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version streams suggests that the underlying flaw was not adequately addressed across the product lifecycle, leaving extensive deployments exposed to potential exploitation. Security teams must consider the implications of this vulnerability within their broader threat landscape, particularly as it relates to the principle of least privilege and the protection of sensitive master data that often contains critical business information.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate implementation of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the application's request handling processes. Organizations should ensure that all state-changing operations require validation of anti-CSRF tokens that are unique per user session and properly validated server-side. The IBM security advisory for this vulnerability would have recommended patching to the affected versions, as the proper solution involves addressing the root cause through code-level fixes that implement robust CSRF protection measures. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls should be considered as defensive measures while patches are being deployed, though these should not be considered a complete replacement for proper application-level fixes. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under T1531 for bypassing security controls and potentially T1203 for exploitation of web applications, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls beyond traditional perimeter defenses.