CVE-2014-4815 in Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter for Windchill
Summary
by MITRE
Session fixation vulnerability in IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter for Windchill 1.x before 1.0.1 allows remote attackers to hijack web sessions via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/10/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-4815 represents a critical session fixation flaw within IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter for Windchill version 1.x prior to 1.0.1. This security weakness exposes the system to remote exploitation where malicious actors can manipulate web sessions through unspecified attack vectors, potentially leading to unauthorized access and session hijacking. The vulnerability resides in the authentication and session management mechanisms of the adapter component that facilitates integration between IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration and Windchill product lifecycle management systems.
Session fixation vulnerabilities occur when an application fails to properly invalidate or regenerate session identifiers upon successful authentication, allowing attackers to maintain persistent access to user sessions. In this specific case, the IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter for Windchill operates as an integration layer that bridges different product lifecycle management systems, making it a critical component in enterprise environments where secure session handling is paramount. The unspecified vectors suggest that attackers could potentially exploit this weakness through various means including but not limited to manipulating session tokens, exploiting predictable session identifiers, or leveraging cross-site scripting vulnerabilities within the integrated environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to perform privileged actions within the integrated systems, potentially compromising entire product lifecycle management workflows. Organizations utilizing this adapter in production environments face significant risk of data breaches, unauthorized modifications to product data, and potential disruption of critical business processes. The vulnerability affects not only individual user sessions but could also compromise the integrity of the entire integration framework, particularly when the adapter interfaces with sensitive product development data, change management processes, and collaborative work environments.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which specifically addresses session fixation issues where applications fail to change session identifiers after authentication. The attack patterns associated with this weakness fall under the MITRE ATT&CK framework within the credential access and privilege escalation categories, specifically targeting session management weaknesses that enable persistent access to systems. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to IBM Rational Lifecycle Integration Adapter version 1.0.1 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this session fixation vulnerability. Additionally, security teams should review existing session management practices, implement proper session invalidation procedures, and consider additional security controls such as secure cookie attributes and robust session timeout mechanisms to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in other components of their integrated product lifecycle management infrastructure.