CVE-2016-0339 in Security Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Manager (ISIM) Virtual Appliance 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.1.1 before 7.0.1-ISS-SIM-FP0003 mishandles session identifiers after logout, which makes it easier for remote attackers to spoof users by leveraging knowledge of "traffic records."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0339 affects IBM Security Identity Manager Virtual Appliance versions 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.1.1 before the 7.0.1-ISS-SIM-FP0003 patch. This issue represents a critical session management flaw that undermines the authentication security model of the system. The vulnerability specifically relates to improper handling of session identifiers after user logout, creating a window of opportunity for unauthorized access attempts. The flaw enables attackers to exploit session state information that should have been invalidated upon logout, effectively allowing them to maintain access to the system under a different user identity.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the application's session management implementation where session tokens or identifiers are not properly destroyed or invalidated when a user logs out of the system. This behavior creates persistent session state information that attackers can potentially reuse or predict. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-613 as "Insufficient Session Expiration" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1565.001 for "Credentials from Password Stores". When a user logs out, the system should ensure that all session-related data is completely removed from memory and that any associated session identifiers become invalid and unusable for authentication purposes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows remote attackers to perform session hijacking attacks without requiring valid credentials or complex exploitation techniques. Attackers can leverage knowledge of "traffic records" to reconstruct or predict session information that should have been invalidated upon logout. This weakness enables unauthorized access to privileged functions and data that should only be available to legitimate users. The vulnerability essentially provides a backdoor mechanism where attackers can impersonate legitimate users, potentially gaining access to sensitive identity management information, user accounts, and system resources that are protected by the ISIM authentication framework.
Organizations using IBM Security Identity Manager Virtual Appliance are advised to implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patch 7.0.1-ISS-SIM-FP0003, which addresses the session management flaw. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous session behavior and unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should implement session timeout policies that enforce strict session invalidation upon logout and monitor for suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate session reuse attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing multi-factor authentication mechanisms to add additional layers of security beyond the basic session management controls. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper session lifecycle management in identity and access management systems, where inadequate session handling can lead to complete compromise of user authentication security.