CVE-2015-7447 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF29, 8.0.0 before 8.0.0.1 CF20, and 8.5.0 before CF09 allows remote attackers to bypass intended Portal AccessControl REST API access restrictions and obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-7447 represents a critical access control flaw within IBM WebSphere Portal software versions spanning multiple release branches including 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2, 8.0.0 before 8.0.0.1, and 8.5.0 before CF09. This issue manifests as a weakness in the Portal AccessControl REST API implementation that permits unauthorized remote attackers to circumvent intended security restrictions. The vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient access control as classified by CWE-284, which specifically addresses inadequate access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access protected resources. The affected systems operate under the assumption that proper authentication and authorization controls are in place, but the flaw enables attackers to bypass these protections through unspecified vectors that exploit weaknesses in the access control enforcement mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of REST API endpoints that govern portal access control and information retrieval. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information that should normally be restricted to authorized users or specific roles. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation and lateral movement within the portal environment. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack surface may include various parameter manipulation techniques, header injection methods, or authentication bypass approaches that exploit implementation gaps in the access control framework. This weakness directly violates the principle of least privilege and can result in unauthorized access to confidential portal content, user data, and system configurations that are typically protected by access control policies.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-7447 is severe for organizations relying on IBM WebSphere Portal for their enterprise portal infrastructure. Successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information, user credentials, and business-critical data stored within the portal environment. Organizations may face regulatory compliance violations, data breaches, and potential financial losses due to unauthorized access to confidential information. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the portal software, indicating a widespread impact across different deployment scenarios and potentially affecting both legacy and newer implementations. This creates significant challenges for security teams who must assess and remediate the vulnerability across various system configurations while minimizing disruption to business operations. The attack vector being remote and requiring no special privileges makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by attackers from anywhere on the internet without physical access to the system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-7447 should prioritize immediate implementation of vendor-provided security patches and updates to affected IBM WebSphere Portal versions. Organizations should implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the affected portal systems to untrusted networks. The remediation process should include comprehensive vulnerability scanning and penetration testing to identify any potential exploitation attempts or additional vulnerabilities within the portal environment. Security teams should also implement monitoring and logging controls specifically designed to detect unauthorized access attempts to the portal REST API endpoints. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, making it important for security operations to establish detection capabilities for suspicious API access patterns. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough access control reviews and implement proper configuration management practices to ensure that access control policies are properly enforced and that the portal environment maintains appropriate security boundaries. Regular security assessments and continuous monitoring of the portal infrastructure are essential to prevent exploitation and maintain overall system integrity.