CVE-2015-4944 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.1 through 7.1.1.13, 7.5.0 before 7.5.0.8 IFIX003, and 7.6.0 before 7.6.0.1 IFIX001; Maximo Asset Management 7.5.x before 7.5.0.8 IFIX003 and 7.6.0 before 7.6.0.1 IFIX001 for SmartCloud Control Desk; and Maximo Asset Management 7.1 through 7.1.1.13 and 7.2 for Tivoli IT Asset Management for IT and certain other products allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/18/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-4944 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Maximo Asset Management software across multiple versions and related products. This security weakness affects critical enterprise asset management systems used by organizations worldwide for tracking and managing their physical assets. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions 7.1 through 7.1.1.13, 7.5.0 before 7.5.0.8 IFIX003, and 7.6.0 before 7.6.0.1 IFIX001 of the primary Maximo platform, as well as corresponding versions in SmartCloud Control Desk and Tivoli IT Asset Management for IT. The flaw allows authenticated remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through manipulated URL parameters, creating a significant security risk for enterprise environments that rely on these asset management systems for critical business operations.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the Maximo application's URL handling mechanisms. When users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script payloads, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it in web responses. This improper handling of user-supplied data creates an environment where attackers can inject arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and specifically targets the web interface components that process URL parameters, making it particularly dangerous as it requires only authentication to exploit rather than privileged access. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-79 which represents "Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')", a fundamental web application security weakness that has been consistently identified as one of the most prevalent security vulnerabilities in enterprise applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-4944 extends beyond simple data theft or service disruption, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive organizational data within the Maximo environment. Once exploited, the XSS vulnerability could enable attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, modify data displayed in the application, or even execute commands on behalf of authenticated users. For organizations using Maximo for critical asset management, this could result in unauthorized access to inventory data, financial records, maintenance schedules, and other sensitive operational information. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions of the software means that organizations across different deployment scenarios face similar risks, potentially affecting hundreds or thousands of users depending on their implementation scale. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 which involves creating or modifying files to enable persistence or privilege escalation, though in this case the technique manifests through web-based injection rather than file system manipulation.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the recommended security patches and IFIX updates provided by IBM for their specific version of Maximo Asset Management. The remediation process involves applying the appropriate cumulative fixes including IFIX003 for versions 7.5.0 and IFIX001 for version 7.6.0, along with updating the related SmartCloud Control Desk and Tivoli IT Asset Management products. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls, input validation mechanisms, and regular security assessments of their Maximo implementations. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts, while user education programs can help reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that might leverage this vulnerability. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-79 and its alignment with ATT&CK techniques emphasize the importance of comprehensive application security measures including proper input sanitization, output encoding, and regular security testing to prevent similar issues in future deployments. Organizations should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other potential injection points within their Maximo environments and related systems that may present similar security risks.