CVE-2014-4789 in Initiate Master Data Service
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation 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 web sessions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/18/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4789 represents a critical session fixation flaw within IBM Initiate Master Data Service across multiple version ranges, specifically affecting versions prior to the designated patch levels. This vulnerability resides in the web application layer of the master data management platform, where session management mechanisms fail to properly invalidate or regenerate session identifiers upon successful authentication. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the session fixation weakness by manipulating session tokens, thereby enabling unauthorized access to user sessions and potential privilege escalation within the system. The vulnerability affects IBM Initiate Master Data Service versions 9.5.093012 and earlier, 9.7.093012 and earlier, 10.0.093012 and earlier, and 10.1.093012 and earlier, creating a widespread impact across the product's major release lines.
The technical implementation of this session fixation vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly handle session token generation and validation during the authentication process. When users authenticate to the IBM Initiate Master Data Service, the system should invalidate existing session identifiers and generate new ones to prevent session hijacking attacks. However, the flawed implementation allows attackers to obtain a valid session token before authentication and then use that same token to impersonate legitimate users once they successfully authenticate. This weakness typically manifests when the application reuses session identifiers across authentication boundaries without proper session regeneration protocols, creating a persistent session token that can be exploited by attackers who have obtained the initial session identifier through various means including network sniffing, cross-site scripting attacks, or other reconnaissance techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to perform administrative functions, access sensitive master data, modify data records, and potentially escalate privileges within the system. Given that IBM Initiate Master Data Service typically handles critical business data including customer information, product catalogs, and other sensitive master data assets, the session fixation vulnerability creates a significant risk for data breaches and unauthorized system modifications. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain persistent access to the system, potentially leading to data exfiltration, data corruption, or disruption of business operations. The vulnerability also poses risks to compliance requirements, as unauthorized access to master data could violate data protection regulations and industry standards such as gdpr, hipaa, or pci dss, depending on the nature of the data being managed.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and updates for each affected version range, specifically targeting the 9.5.093013, 9.7.093013, 10.0.093013, and 10.1.093013 release versions. Additionally, administrators should enforce proper session management policies including mandatory session regeneration upon authentication, implement secure session cookie attributes such as httponly and secure flags, and deploy web application firewalls to monitor for suspicious session-related activities. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1548.003 related to abuse of session tokens for privilege escalation. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments of their master data management systems, implement monitoring for unusual session behavior, and establish incident response procedures to detect and respond to potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patched systems to ensure that session management functions properly and that the vulnerability has been effectively addressed without introducing regressions in system functionality.