CVE-2014-6181 in WebSphere Service Registry
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Service Registry and Repository (WSRR) 7.0.x before 7.0.0.5 does not perform access-control checks for contained objects, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/09/2022
IBM WebSphere Service Registry and Repository version 7.0.x before 7.0.0.5 contains a critical access control vulnerability that fundamentally undermines the security posture of the system. This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient access control as defined by CWE-284, where the application fails to properly validate permissions for accessing contained objects within the registry. The flaw exists in the service registry's object management subsystem, where authenticated users can bypass intended access restrictions to retrieve sensitive information through unspecified attack vectors that exploit the missing authorization checks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of proper access control validation mechanisms within the WSRR 7.0.x framework. When users authenticate to the system, they are granted certain privileges based on their roles and permissions, but the application fails to enforce these restrictions consistently across all contained objects. This weakness allows authenticated attackers to traverse the object hierarchy and access resources that should be restricted to specific user groups or roles. The vulnerability specifically affects the object containment model where objects reference other objects, creating a potential attack surface for information disclosure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it represents a fundamental failure in the security architecture of the WebSphere Service Registry and Repository. Attackers who can successfully exploit this vulnerability gain unauthorized access to sensitive registry information, potentially including service definitions, business processes, and other confidential data that should remain protected. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where WSRR serves as a central repository for service metadata, making this vulnerability a significant threat to data confidentiality and system integrity. This weakness can be leveraged by attackers to gain insights into the organization's service architecture and potentially enable more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability demonstrates a classic pattern of insufficient authorization checks that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can use legitimate credentials to access restricted resources. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, reviewing and tightening access control policies, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The recommended remediation involves upgrading to WSRR version 7.0.0.5 or later, which includes proper access control enforcement for contained objects. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive access reviews and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while also ensuring that proper audit logging is enabled to detect any unauthorized access attempts.