CVE-2015-0174 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
The SNMP implementation in IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 8.5 before 8.5.5.5 does not properly handle configuration data, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0174 affects IBM WebSphere Application Server version 8.5 prior to 8.5.5.5, representing a significant security flaw in the SNMP implementation that could expose sensitive system information to remote authenticated attackers. This weakness resides within the server's handling of configuration data, creating an information disclosure vulnerability that undermines the security posture of affected systems. The issue specifically targets the SNMP subsystem which is commonly used for network monitoring and management purposes, making it a critical component for system administrators to secure properly.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of configuration data within the SNMP implementation, where the system fails to adequately validate or sanitize input parameters during the processing of SNMP requests. This inadequate data handling allows authenticated users who can establish SNMP connections to potentially extract sensitive information from the server configuration. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it requires only authentication, meaning that attackers who can establish valid SNMP sessions with the server can exploit this weakness without requiring additional privileges or complex attack vectors. The unspecified vectors mentioned in the description suggest that the vulnerability could be triggered through various SNMP operations or configuration interactions, making it particularly challenging to defend against comprehensively.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on IBM WebSphere Application Server for their enterprise applications, as it could lead to the exposure of sensitive configuration details, system credentials, or other proprietary information. The information disclosure could enable attackers to gain insights into the server's internal structure, network topology, and potentially identify other vulnerabilities or attack vectors. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries could exploit this weakness from outside the organization's network perimeter, provided they have valid SNMP authentication credentials. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad, potentially compromising the security of the entire application server environment.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to IBM WebSphere Application Server version 8.5.5.5 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this information disclosure vulnerability. System administrators should also review and restrict SNMP access to only trusted entities, implementing proper authentication mechanisms and network segmentation to limit exposure. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which describes improper information disclosure, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1082 for system information discovery, as attackers could leverage this weakness to gather intelligence about the target system. Additionally, this issue demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and configuration handling in enterprise application servers, reinforcing the need for comprehensive security testing and regular patch management procedures to maintain robust security postures against evolving threats.