CVE-2015-1907 in Rational License Key Server
Summary
by MITRE
The Administration and Reporting Tool in IBM Rational License Key Server (RLKS) 8.1.4 before 8.1.4.7 allows remote authenticated users to read cookies via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1907 affects IBM Rational License Key Server version 8.1.4 and earlier releases, specifically within its Administration and Reporting Tool component. This issue represents a significant security weakness that enables remote authenticated attackers to access sensitive cookie information through unspecified attack vectors. The vulnerability exists within the server's administrative interface, which is designed to manage license keys and provide reporting capabilities for software licensing operations. Organizations utilizing this licensing solution for managing IBM Rational software products would be at risk when operating affected versions of the RLKS platform.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of authentication cookies within the web-based administration interface. While the exact vectors remain unspecified in the CVE description, this type of vulnerability typically involves insufficient input validation or improper session management mechanisms that allow authenticated users to extract cookie data through crafted requests or direct access to cookie storage mechanisms. The vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure, where sensitive session tokens or authentication data are exposed to unauthorized parties. This weakness aligns with CWE-200, which describes the improper exposure of sensitive information, and represents a classic session management flaw that could be exploited to escalate privileges or hijack administrative sessions. The attack requires only authenticated access to the system, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by insiders or compromised legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as cookie data often contains critical session identifiers that could enable attackers to impersonate legitimate users within the administrative interface. When an attacker gains access to these cookies, they can potentially bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to the full administrative capabilities of the RLKS platform. This includes the ability to modify license configurations, view sensitive licensing information, and potentially disrupt the licensing service itself. The vulnerability also increases the risk of privilege escalation attacks, as cookie data may contain role-based access control information or other authorization tokens that could be exploited to gain higher privileges within the system. From an attacker perspective, this vulnerability represents a low-hanging fruit that requires minimal effort to exploit and provides significant access to the administrative functions of the licensing server.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to IBM Rational License Key Server version 8.1.4.7 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as this represents the first patched release addressing the issue. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring of administrative access logs to detect unusual cookie access patterns or unauthorized session usage. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced around the RLKS server to limit exposure to only authorized administrative workstations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper session management and cookie handling in web applications, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1548.003 for bypassing session management controls. Security teams should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can quickly detect and respond to potential cookie-based attacks, as this type of vulnerability can be particularly difficult to detect through conventional security scanning methods due to its reliance on authenticated access and specific session handling mechanisms.