CVE-2014-4792 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF28, 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF13, and 8.5.0 before CF02 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (disk consumption) by uploading large files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2022
IBM WebSphere Portal versions 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF28, 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF13, and 8.5.0 before CF02 contain a vulnerability that enables remote authenticated attackers to consume excessive disk space through large file uploads. This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient input validation and inadequate resource management, which aligns with CWE-20 Input Validation and CWE-400 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption. The flaw exists in the file upload handling mechanism where the system fails to properly validate file sizes or implement appropriate disk space limits during the upload process. Attackers with valid authentication credentials can exploit this weakness by uploading exceptionally large files that rapidly consume available disk storage on the target system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it can lead to complete system unavailability through disk space exhaustion. When authenticated users upload large files without proper size restrictions, the portal server's storage capacity becomes rapidly depleted, potentially causing the entire application to become inaccessible. This denial of service condition affects not only the specific user attempting the attack but can also impact other legitimate users who rely on the portal services. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that internal users with valid credentials can trigger the condition, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate usage and malicious activity. This characteristic places the vulnerability in the ATT&CK matrix under T1499.004 - Endpoint Denial of Service, specifically targeting resource consumption.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the portal's file handling architecture where proper input sanitization and resource management controls are missing. The system does not implement adequate checks to monitor or limit file sizes during the upload process, allowing attackers to bypass normal file size constraints. This weakness represents a classic example of insufficient resource management where the application fails to enforce appropriate limits on disk space utilization. Organizations using affected IBM WebSphere Portal versions should immediately apply the relevant cumulative fixes and security updates provided by IBM to address this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing network-level controls such as upload size restrictions, monitoring for unusual file upload patterns, and regular disk space monitoring can help mitigate the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability underscores the importance of proper input validation and resource management in enterprise portal applications, particularly in environments where multiple authenticated users have access to file upload functionality.