CVE-2015-3244 in JBoss Portal
Summary
by MITRE
The Portlet Bridge for JavaServer Faces in Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.2.0, when used in portlets with the default resource serving for GenericPortlet, does not properly restrict access to restricted resources, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a URL with a modified resource ID.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-3244 affects the Portlet Bridge component within Red Hat JBoss Portal version 6.2.0, specifically impacting JavaServer Faces applications that utilize GenericPortlet for resource serving. This flaw represents a critical access control weakness that undermines the security boundaries established by the portal framework. The vulnerability stems from improper implementation of resource access restrictions within the portlet bridge mechanism, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure.
The technical implementation flaw occurs when portlets leverage the default resource serving capabilities of GenericPortlet, which fails to validate or sanitize resource identifiers properly. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious URLs that modify resource IDs, bypassing the intended access controls that should restrict sensitive information to authorized users only. This misconfiguration allows attackers to traverse the resource access control matrix and retrieve restricted content that should normally be protected within the portal environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to potentially access sensitive data, system configurations, or business-critical information that resides within the portal's resource hierarchy. The vulnerability affects organizations running Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.2.0 deployments where portlets utilize the default GenericPortlet resource serving mechanisms, creating a persistent threat vector that could be exploited by remote attackers without requiring authentication credentials. This weakness particularly impacts enterprise environments where portal systems serve as central repositories for confidential business information.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of Red Hat JBoss Portal, implementing additional access control layers, and conducting thorough security reviews of all portlet resource serving implementations. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious resource access patterns, while establishing proper input validation and sanitization processes for all resource identifiers. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues and maps to ATT&CK technique T1213 Data from Information Repositories, emphasizing the need for comprehensive access control enforcement and monitoring of resource access patterns.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in portal frameworks, where the default configurations may not adequately protect against sophisticated attack vectors. The flaw highlights the necessity of security testing during development phases and regular security assessments of enterprise portal deployments to identify and remediate access control weaknesses before they can be exploited by threat actors. Organizations should prioritize this vulnerability remediation as part of their overall security posture management and vulnerability response protocols.