CVE-2014-4816 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in the Administrative Console in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.x through 6.1.0.47, 7.0 before 7.0.0.35, 8.0 before 8.0.0.10, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.4 allows remote authenticated users to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2024
The CVE-2014-4816 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM WebSphere Application Server administrative console components. This vulnerability exists across multiple versions of the application server including 6.x through 6.1.0.47, 7.0 before 7.0.0.35, 8.0 before 8.0.0.10, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.4, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing these legacy systems. The flaw specifically targets the administrative console functionality, which serves as the primary interface for system administrators to manage and configure WebSphere applications. This presents a particularly dangerous attack surface since administrative consoles typically possess elevated privileges and can perform critical system operations that affect entire application environments.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF protection mechanisms within the administrative console's request handling process. When authenticated users access the administrative interface, the system should validate that requests originate from legitimate administrative sessions rather than being submitted through malicious third-party web pages. However, in vulnerable versions, the authentication tokens or session validation mechanisms fail to adequately verify request authenticity, allowing attackers to craft malicious web pages that can submit administrative requests on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability becomes particularly dangerous when combined with the ability to inject XSS sequences, as attackers can simultaneously exploit both CSRF and XSS vectors to achieve more comprehensive compromise of the administrative environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables attackers to perform arbitrary administrative actions within the WebSphere environment. An attacker with access to the administrative console could potentially modify application configurations, deploy malicious applications, create new administrative users, or even delete critical system components. The fact that the vulnerability allows insertion of XSS sequences amplifies the threat model significantly, as attackers can inject malicious scripts that persist in the administrative interface and potentially compromise all users who access it. This creates a persistent threat vector that can affect multiple users over time, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with multiple administrators or users who regularly access the administrative console.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through official IBM patches and updates, as the vulnerability exists across multiple major versions of the WebSphere Application Server. The recommended mitigation strategy involves applying the vendor-supplied security fixes that implement proper CSRF token validation mechanisms and strengthen session management protocols. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the administrative console to only authorized users and systems. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, while also implementing proper web application firewall rules to block suspicious cross-site requests. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses, and represents a significant concern within the ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and persistence tactics, as it enables attackers to gain and maintain administrative access to critical application infrastructure.