CVE-2014-6141 in Tivoli Monitoring
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Monitoring (ITM) 6.2.0 through FP03, 6.2.1 through FP04, 6.2.2 through FP09, 6.2.3 through FP05, and 6.3.0 before FP04 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and execute arbitrary commands by leveraging Take Action view authority to modify in-progress commands.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/20/2017
IBM Tivoli Monitoring version 6.2.0 through FP03, 6.2.1 through FP04, 6.2.2 through FP09, 6.2.3 through FP05, and 6.3.0 before FP04 contains a critical authorization bypass vulnerability that enables remote authenticated attackers to execute arbitrary commands on affected systems. This vulnerability resides in the Take Action view functionality within the monitoring platform, which provides administrators with the ability to manage and execute various monitoring actions. The flaw allows attackers who have authenticated access to the system to exploit their privileges in a manner that circumvents intended access controls, effectively granting them elevated command execution capabilities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the Take Action view component. When users with appropriate authentication credentials attempt to modify in-progress commands through this interface, the system fails to properly validate the integrity of the command parameters or enforce proper authorization boundaries. This weakness creates a path for privilege escalation where authenticated users can manipulate command execution flows to run unauthorized code. The vulnerability operates at the application level and specifically targets the command processing pipeline within IBM Tivoli Monitoring's administrative interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching for organizations utilizing affected IBM Tivoli Monitoring versions. Attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the monitoring service account, potentially leading to complete system compromise. This vulnerability undermines the fundamental security model of the monitoring platform, as it allows attackers to bypass the intended security boundaries that protect against unauthorized command execution. Organizations may experience data breaches, system infiltration, and complete loss of monitoring integrity, as the attacker can manipulate the very tools designed to detect and prevent malicious activities.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which describes improper authorization issues in software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and script execution. The weakness represents a classic case of insufficient access control validation where the system fails to properly verify that authenticated users can only execute commands within their authorized scope. Organizations should immediately apply the relevant IBM security patches and fixes to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network segmentation should be implemented to limit access to the monitoring system, and privilege escalation should be carefully monitored through audit logs. Regular security assessments of monitoring platforms and implementation of principle of least privilege access controls are essential mitigation strategies to prevent exploitation of similar authorization bypass vulnerabilities in the future.