CVE-2015-2026 in WebSphere eXtreme Scale
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM WebSphere eXtreme Scale 7.1.0 before 7.1.0.3 and 7.1.1 before 7.1.1.1 allows remote authenticated users to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-2026 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM WebSphere eXtreme Scale versions 7.1.0 through 7.1.0.2 and 7.1.1 through 7.1.1.0. This CSRF vulnerability specifically affects the web-based administrative interfaces and user authentication mechanisms of the application server platform. The flaw enables authenticated attackers to manipulate the system by crafting malicious requests that can be executed without the victim's knowledge or consent, effectively allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the web application framework. The security implications extend beyond simple session hijacking as the flaw specifically permits insertion of cross-site scripting sequences, creating a dangerous combination of CSRF and XSS capabilities that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code within the victim's browser context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability relies on the attacker's ability to leverage the authenticated session of a legitimate user to perform unauthorized operations. When an authenticated user visits a malicious website or clicks on a compromised link, the attacker can craft requests that appear to originate from the legitimate user's browser. This occurs because the web application fails to properly validate the referer header or implement robust anti-CSRF mechanisms such as synchronized tokens or origin validation. The vulnerability specifically affects the administrative interfaces where users can perform sensitive operations, making it particularly dangerous for systems where privileged access is required. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-352 weakness related to Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is categorized under the broader category of injection flaws that can lead to unauthorized access and privilege escalation. The flaw can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which covers the use of malicious links in web applications to perform unauthorized actions.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2026 is severe and multifaceted, particularly in enterprise environments where IBM WebSphere eXtreme Scale serves as a critical component of distributed computing infrastructure. Attackers could potentially perform administrative actions such as creating new user accounts, modifying existing configurations, accessing sensitive data, or even deploying malicious code within the application server environment. The combination of CSRF and XSS capabilities creates a particularly dangerous attack vector where an attacker could not only hijack user sessions but also inject malicious scripts that could persist and affect multiple users. The vulnerability affects the authentication and authorization mechanisms that are fundamental to maintaining system integrity and data protection. Organizations using affected versions of WebSphere eXtreme Scale face potential data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and service disruption. The impact is amplified in environments where the application server handles sensitive business data or serves as a platform for mission-critical applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-2026 should focus on immediate patch deployment and implementation of additional security controls. IBM released patches for affected versions that address the CSRF vulnerability by implementing proper token validation and request origin verification mechanisms. Organizations should prioritize updating to IBM WebSphere eXtreme Scale 7.1.0.3 or 7.1.1.1, which contain the necessary security fixes. Additionally, network-level protections such as implementing proper web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious request patterns can provide additional defense-in-depth. Security administrators should also consider implementing additional authentication controls including multi-factor authentication, session management improvements, and regular security assessments of web applications. The fix addresses the core issue by ensuring that all requests to sensitive administrative endpoints contain valid anti-CSRF tokens that are validated against the user's session. Organizations should also review their current security policies and ensure that proper access controls are in place to limit the impact of potential exploitation. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability assessment programs should be implemented to identify similar weaknesses in other web applications and systems within the enterprise environment.