CVE-2016-0918 in RSA Identity Management
Summary
by MITRE
EMC RSA Identity Management and Governance before 6.8.1 P25 and 6.9.x before 6.9.1 P15 and RSA Via Lifecycle and Governance before 7.0.0 P04 allow remote authenticated users to obtain User Detail Popup information via a modified URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0918 affects EMC RSA Identity Management and Governance platforms across specific versions including those before 6.8.1 P25 and 6.9.x before 6.9.1 P15, as well as RSA Via Lifecycle and Governance before 7.0.0 P04. This represents a critical access control flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to exploit information disclosure vulnerabilities through manipulated URL parameters. The flaw resides in the platform's insufficient validation of user permissions when processing requests for user detail popup information, creating a pathway for unauthorized data access.
This vulnerability operates through a privilege escalation mechanism where attackers can manipulate URL parameters to access user detail information that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. The technical implementation involves the application's failure to properly enforce access controls when handling user detail popup requests, allowing authenticated users to craft modified URLs that bypass normal permission checks. The flaw essentially permits lateral movement within the system's user management interface, enabling attackers to gather sensitive information about other users without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can facilitate further attacks within the identity management ecosystem. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gather detailed user information including roles, permissions, and potentially sensitive personal data that could be used for social engineering, account takeover attempts, or to plan more sophisticated attacks. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of the identity management system, potentially compromising the entire user access control framework.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor patches available for versions 6.8.1 P25, 6.9.1 P15, and 7.0.0 P04, respectively. Network segmentation and monitoring of URL access patterns can help detect exploitation attempts, while implementing proper input validation and access control checks throughout the application's user detail popup functionality. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization in access control systems, and represents a technique categorized under ATT&CK tactic T1078 for valid accounts and privilege escalation. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive audits of their identity management systems to ensure similar access control flaws are not present in related components.