CVE-2015-7397 in WebSphere Commerce
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple open redirect vulnerabilities in the Aurora starter store in IBM WebSphere Commerce 7.0 through Feature Pack 8 allow remote attackers to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a URL in the referrer parameter.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7397 represents a critical open redirect flaw within IBM WebSphere Commerce 7.0 through Feature Pack 8, specifically affecting the Aurora starter store implementation. This security weakness resides in the application's handling of HTTP referrer parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate user navigation flows. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-601 category of Open Redirect vulnerabilities, which are classified as weaknesses that enable attackers to redirect users from legitimate websites to malicious destinations without their knowledge or consent.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the Aurora starter store fails to properly validate or sanitize URL parameters submitted through the referrer header. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing crafted redirect targets that will be processed by the application's redirect functionality, effectively bypassing normal security controls. This flaw operates at the application layer and requires no authentication or specialized privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently interact with web applications. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system processes referrer information without adequate validation, allowing arbitrary URLs to be interpreted as legitimate redirect destinations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables sophisticated phishing attacks where attackers can redirect users to fraudulent websites designed to capture credentials, personal information, or financial data. The impact extends beyond simple redirection as it can be leveraged to create convincing social engineering campaigns that exploit user trust in legitimate commerce platforms. Organizations running affected WebSphere Commerce versions face significant risk of credential theft, data breaches, and reputational damage when users are unknowingly redirected to malicious sites. The vulnerability's presence in the Aurora starter store means that even basic commerce functionalities could be compromised, potentially affecting thousands of users who interact with the platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve implementing comprehensive input validation and sanitization measures within the WebSphere Commerce application. Organizations should deploy strict URL validation mechanisms that reject any redirect targets not explicitly authorized within the application's configuration. The implementation of a whitelist approach for redirect destinations, combined with proper header sanitization, can effectively prevent malicious redirection attempts. Additionally, security patches and updates from IBM should be applied immediately to address the root cause of the vulnerability. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect suspicious redirect patterns, and security awareness training should be provided to users to recognize potential phishing attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and the potential for seemingly minor security gaps to enable significant attack vectors that can compromise entire user sessions and data integrity.