CVE-2015-7407 in Mashup Center
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Lotus Mashups in IBM Mashup Center 3.0.0.1 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7407 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM Mashup Center 3.0.0.1's Lotus Mashups component. This weakness stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation in the mashup framework. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication handling mechanisms that govern user sessions within the mashup environment, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's trust in legitimate user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious requests that leverage the authenticated session of a victim user. The flaw allows remote attackers to inject XSS sequences through the mashup framework, effectively enabling them to execute arbitrary scripts in the context of the victim's browser session. This dual nature of the vulnerability combines CSRF exploitation with cross-site scripting capabilities, amplifying the potential impact significantly. The vulnerability exists because the system fails to properly validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same application context.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations utilizing IBM Mashup Center 3.0.0.1 as it can lead to complete account compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive mashup functionalities. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as creating malicious mashups, modifying existing mashup configurations, or injecting persistent XSS payloads that can persist across multiple user sessions. The impact extends beyond simple session hijacking as the XSS component can be used to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or harvest sensitive data from authenticated sessions.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. This classification emphasizes the fundamental flaw in the application's handling of user authentication state and request validation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1566.001 (Phishing via Social Media) and T1566.002 (Phishing via Email) as attackers can craft malicious web pages to exploit this weakness, along with T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) when executing the XSS payloads. The vulnerability also relates to T1071.001 (Application Layer Protocol: Web Protocols) as it exploits HTTP request handling mechanisms.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the mashup framework, proper validation of request origins using referer headers and origin checks, and comprehensive input sanitization for all user-provided data. The recommended approach involves upgrading to patched versions of IBM Mashup Center, implementing strict content security policies, and conducting thorough security reviews of all mashup components. Additionally, organizations should consider network-level protections such as web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious request patterns that may indicate CSRF attack attempts. Regular security assessments and user awareness training regarding phishing vectors that could exploit this vulnerability are essential components of a comprehensive defense strategy.