CVE-2015-5016 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.1, 7.5, and 7.6; Maximo Asset Management Essentials 7.1 and 7.5; Control Desk 7.5 and 7.6; Tivoli Asset Management for IT 7.1 and 7.2; and certain other IBM products allow remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and read arbitrary ticket worklog entries via unspecified vectors. IBM X-Force ID: 106460.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/06/2021
This vulnerability affects multiple IBM enterprise asset management products including Maximo Asset Management versions 7.1, 7.5, and 7.6, as well as Control Desk 7.5 and 7.6, and Tivoli Asset Management for IT 7.1 and 7.2. The security flaw represents a critical access control bypass that allows authenticated remote attackers to read arbitrary ticket worklog entries without proper authorization. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user permissions when accessing worklog data, creating a path for privilege escalation through unspecified attack vectors that could be exploited over network connections.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a failure in the access control mechanisms within IBM's asset management platforms, where the system does not properly verify whether authenticated users have legitimate authorization to view specific worklog entries associated with tickets. This weakness falls under the broader category of improper access control as defined by CWE-284, which encompasses insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized access to resources. The flaw enables attackers to potentially access sensitive operational data including maintenance schedules, resource allocations, and personnel assignments that should be restricted to authorized personnel only.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to potentially compromise the integrity of asset management processes and operational decision-making. Attackers could gain insights into organizational maintenance strategies, resource allocation patterns, and operational workflows that might reveal business-critical information or create opportunities for further exploitation. The remote nature of the attack vector increases the risk profile significantly, as attackers do not require physical access to systems or local network presence to exploit the vulnerability. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078.004 for Valid Accounts and T1566.001 for Phishing, where compromised credentials could be leveraged to access restricted information.
Organizations utilizing these IBM products should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by IBM, as the vulnerability affects multiple versions across different product lines. The lack of specific details about the exact attack vectors in the CVE description suggests that the vulnerability may be present across various components of these platforms, requiring comprehensive patch management across all affected systems. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual access patterns in worklog entry retrieval and consider additional access controls or network segmentation to limit potential impact. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and access control implementation in enterprise software systems, particularly those handling sensitive operational data that could impact business continuity and security posture.