CVE-2015-7427 in DataPower Gateway Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DataPower Gateway appliances with firmware 6.x before 6.0.0.17, 6.0.1.x before 6.0.1.17, 7.x before 7.0.0.10, 7.1.0.x before 7.1.0.7, and 7.2.x before 7.2.0.1 do not set the secure flag for unspecified cookies in an https session, which makes it easier for remote attackers to capture these cookies by intercepting their transmission within an http session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7427 affects IBM DataPower Gateway appliances across multiple firmware versions, representing a critical security flaw in cookie handling mechanisms. This issue manifests when the appliance fails to properly configure the secure flag for cookies transmitted over https sessions, creating a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to capture sensitive session data. The vulnerability impacts firmware versions 6.x before 6.0.0.17, 6.0.1.x before 6.0.1.17, 7.x before 7.0.0.10, 7.1.0.x before 7.1.0.7, and 7.2.x before 7.2.0.1, indicating a widespread issue affecting the DataPower Gateway platform's security implementation. The root cause lies in the improper configuration of cookie attributes, specifically the missing secure flag that should be automatically set for cookies transmitted over encrypted connections.
The technical flaw stems from the DataPower appliance's failure to enforce proper cookie security policies during https session establishment. When cookies are transmitted without the secure flag, they become vulnerable to interception attacks that occur during protocol transitions or when the connection is compromised. This vulnerability creates a condition where attackers can capture cookies that should only be transmitted over encrypted channels and potentially use them to hijack user sessions or gain unauthorized access to protected resources. The issue represents a violation of fundamental web security practices and directly relates to CWE-614, which addresses the improper storage of sensitive data in cookies, and CWE-311, which covers the absence of encryption for sensitive data during transmission.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking scenarios, as it undermines the integrity of the entire https communication framework within the DataPower appliance. Attackers can exploit this weakness by performing man-in-the-middle attacks or by intercepting traffic on networks where protocol transitions occur, particularly when users navigate between http and https contexts. The vulnerability enables credential theft, session manipulation, and potential unauthorized access to enterprise resources that rely on DataPower for secure communication. This weakness is particularly dangerous in environments where sensitive data flows through the appliance, as it provides attackers with a pathway to compromise authentication mechanisms and access protected corporate resources.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including firmware updates to the latest available versions that address this specific vulnerability, as well as network-level security controls to monitor and detect suspicious cookie transmission patterns. The secure flag for all cookies should be explicitly configured in the appliance's security policies, and administrators should conduct comprehensive security assessments to identify any other potential cookie-related vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect unauthorized cookie interception attempts, while security teams should review and update their incident response procedures to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing additional authentication layers and session management controls to reduce the impact if the vulnerability is successfully exploited. The remediation approach should align with industry best practices for secure cookie implementation and follow the ATT&CK framework's methodology for identifying and mitigating session management vulnerabilities that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or unauthorized access to enterprise systems.