CVE-2015-1972 in Tivoli Security Directory Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Security Directory Server 6.0 before iFix 75, 6.1 before iFix 68, 6.2 before iFix 44, 6.3 before iFix 37, 6.3.1 before iFix 11, and 6.4 before iFix 2 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive error-log information via a crafted POST request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2022
IBM Tivoli Security Directory Server represents a critical component in enterprise security infrastructure serving as a directory service that manages user authentication and access control for large organizations. The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1972 manifests as an information disclosure flaw that affects multiple versions of this security directory server spanning from version 6.0 through 6.4. This vulnerability specifically targets the server's error handling mechanisms and exposes sensitive operational information through improperly sanitized error responses.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a crafted POST request that triggers the server to return detailed error-log information in its response. This flaw falls under the category of improper error handling and information exposure, which aligns with CWE-209 and CWE-210 classifications. When an attacker sends a malformed or specially constructed POST request to the server, the system responds with verbose error messages that may contain stack traces, internal system paths, database connection details, and other sensitive operational information that should remain hidden from external entities. The vulnerability exists because the server fails to properly sanitize error responses before transmitting them to requesting clients.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked error information provides attackers with valuable insights into the internal structure and configuration of the security directory server. This information can significantly aid in subsequent attack phases, including privilege escalation, system enumeration, and targeted exploitation attempts. Attackers can leverage the disclosed error logs to understand the server's architecture, identify potential weak points in the system, and craft more sophisticated attacks against the directory service. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations using IBM Tivoli Security Directory Server in their enterprise security infrastructure, potentially compromising the confidentiality and integrity of their authentication systems.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the relevant iFix patches released by IBM for each affected version. The recommended approach involves upgrading to the patched versions that address the improper error handling mechanism and ensure that error responses are properly sanitized before transmission. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for suspicious POST requests that may attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms can help prevent similar issues in other components of the security infrastructure. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure error handling practices and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211 which focuses on exploitation of information disclosure vulnerabilities. The remediation process should also include comprehensive security testing to verify that error responses no longer contain sensitive system information, ensuring that the directory service maintains its role as a secure authentication gateway within enterprise networks.