CVE-2015-7410 in Sterling B2B Integrator
Summary
by MITRE
The Health Check tool in IBM Sterling B2B Integrator 5.2 does not properly use cookies in conjunction with HTTPS sessions, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to obtain sensitive information or modify data via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7410 resides within the Health Check functionality of IBM Sterling B2B Integrator version 5.2, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of secure communication channels. This issue specifically targets the improper handling of authentication cookies within HTTPS sessions, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise sensitive data exchanges. The vulnerability manifests when the system fails to adequately secure cookie transmission and validation during encrypted sessions, potentially allowing malicious actors to intercept or manipulate session state information.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate cookie security measures that should normally ensure proper session management and authentication persistence across secure connections. When IBM Sterling B2B Integrator processes Health Check requests, it fails to properly validate or encrypt cookie data that contains session identifiers or authentication tokens. This weakness enables attackers positioned within the network traffic flow to perform man-in-the-middle attacks, where they can capture cookie information transmitted over HTTPS connections and subsequently reuse or modify this data to gain unauthorized access to the system or manipulate data flows. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can potentially allow full session hijacking and unauthorized administrative access to the B2B integration platform.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations relying on IBM Sterling B2B Integrator for critical business-to-business transactions. Attackers exploiting this flaw can potentially access sensitive business data, modify transaction records, or disrupt integration processes that form the backbone of supply chain operations. The vulnerability affects the platform's ability to maintain secure communication channels between trading partners, potentially leading to financial losses, regulatory compliance violations, and damage to business relationships. Organizations using this software in production environments face significant risk exposure, particularly in sectors where B2B integration handles confidential information such as financial transactions, personal data, or intellectual property.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-7410 should prioritize immediate patch application from IBM, as this vulnerability represents a known security flaw that requires vendor-provided remediation. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unusual cookie behavior or unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of the affected software and ensure proper cookie security configurations are implemented. The implementation of additional security controls such as secure cookie attributes, proper session management protocols, and enhanced network monitoring can help reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-310, which addresses cryptographic issues in cookie handling, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1046 for network service scanning and T1566 for credential access through man-in-the-middle attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious cookie manipulation patterns and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing session hijacking scenarios.