CVE-2015-1966 in Tivoli Federated Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager (TFIM) 6.2.0 before FP17, 6.2.1 before FP9, and 6.2.2 before FP15, as used in Security Access Manager for Mobile and other products, allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL, related to the (1) ERROR_DESCRIPTION and (2) TOKEN:RelayState macros.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1966 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager versions 6.2.0 through 6.2.2 prior to their respective fix packs. This security weakness resides within the authentication and authorization framework that governs federated identity management systems, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at the core of identity verification processes. The vulnerability specifically impacts products including Security Access Manager for Mobile, which relies on TFIM for secure authentication mechanisms. Attackers exploiting this flaw can manipulate the system by injecting malicious web scripts or HTML content through specially crafted URLs, potentially compromising user sessions and accessing sensitive authentication data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the ERROR_DESCRIPTION and TOKEN:RelayState macros used in the federated identity management process. These macros serve as placeholders for dynamic content during authentication flows, but fail to properly sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in web responses. When malicious actors craft URLs containing crafted payloads within these macro parameters, the system processes and displays the unfiltered content without adequate security measures. This flaw falls under CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, specifically manifesting as a reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where the malicious input is immediately reflected back to the user's browser. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the identity management infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to hijack authentication sessions or escalate privileges within the federated identity ecosystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal authentication tokens, and potentially gain unauthorized access to protected resources within the federated identity environment. An attacker could craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by authenticated users, would execute malicious scripts in their browsers and potentially steal session cookies or other sensitive authentication information. The implications are particularly severe for mobile security access management systems where users may be accessing corporate resources from potentially untrusted networks. This vulnerability could allow for privilege escalation attacks within the identity federation framework, potentially enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users or gain access to systems that require federated authentication. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication, as the vulnerability is exploitable through standard web browser interactions and does not require special privileges or complex attack chains.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided fix packs for TFIM versions 6.2.0 through 6.2.2, specifically FP17 for 6.2.0, FP9 for 6.2.1, and FP15 for 6.2.2, to remediate this vulnerability. Network administrators should also implement web application firewalls and input validation mechanisms to filter malicious URLs before they reach the vulnerable components. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious URL patterns and unusual authentication behavior that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566 - Phishing demonstrates the need for comprehensive user education and awareness programs to prevent social engineering attacks that leverage such technical vulnerabilities. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to ensure all federated identity components are properly secured, with particular attention to input validation and output encoding mechanisms within authentication flows. Regular security updates and patch management processes should be strengthened to prevent similar vulnerabilities from remaining unaddressed in future releases of the identity management platform.