CVE-2015-1909 in InfoSphere Master Data Management
Summary
by MITRE
The XML parser in the Reference Data Management component in the server in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management (MDM) 10.1 before IF1, 11.0 before FP3, 11.3, and 11.4 before FP2 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files, and consequently obtain administrative access, via an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1909 represents a critical XML External Entity (XXE) flaw within IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management's Reference Data Management component. This security weakness exists in multiple versions of the MDM software including 10.1 before IF1, 11.0 before FP3, 11.3, and 11.4 before FP2, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing these specific software versions. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation within the XML parser implementation, which fails to properly sanitize external entity declarations that could be exploited by malicious actors.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a carefully crafted XML payload that includes external entity declarations combined with entity references. When the vulnerable system processes such malformed XML data, the XML parser attempts to resolve external entities by accessing specified file paths, enabling attackers to read arbitrary files from the server's filesystem. This particular XXE implementation allows for the retrieval of sensitive system files, configuration data, and potentially administrative credentials that could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entity reference, and represents a classic example of how XML parsers can be manipulated to access unauthorized resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as successful exploitation can result in full administrative access to the MDM server. Attackers can leverage this access to modify master data, manipulate reference datasets, and potentially establish persistent backdoors within the enterprise data management infrastructure. This poses significant risks to data integrity, business continuity, and regulatory compliance, particularly in environments where master data management systems contain sensitive customer information, financial records, or other critical business data. The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no prior access to the system and can be launched from any network location.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and fixes for their specific MDM versions, disabling external entity resolution in XML parsers, and implementing network-level restrictions to prevent unauthorized access to the MDM server. System administrators should also consider implementing XML input validation rules, monitoring for suspicious XML processing activities, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their master data management environments. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation through data manipulation and initial access via remote exploitation, emphasizing the need for layered defensive measures including network segmentation, regular vulnerability scanning, and robust access controls around critical data management systems.