CVE-2016-10684 in healthcenter
Summary
by MITRE
healthcenter - IBM Monitoring and Diagnostic Tools health Center agent healthcenter downloads binary resources over HTTP, which leaves it vulnerable to MITM attacks. It may be possible to cause remote code execution (RCE) by swapping out the requested resources with an attacker controlled copy if the attacker is on the network or positioned in between the user and the remote server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/14/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10684 affects IBM Monitoring and Diagnostic Tools health Center agent, specifically within the healthcenter component that handles binary resource downloads. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the software's communication protocols and trust model, as it relies on unencrypted HTTP connections for retrieving binary resources. The implementation of HTTP instead of HTTPS creates a significant attack surface that adversaries can exploit to compromise the integrity of the downloaded components. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-319, which addresses the exposure of sensitive information through improper use of network protocols, particularly focusing on the transmission of sensitive data over insecure channels.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves a man-in-the-middle attack scenario where an attacker positioned within the network traffic path can intercept the HTTP requests made by the health Center agent. When the agent attempts to download binary resources, the attacker can substitute the legitimate files with malicious counterparts that contain exploit code or backdoor functionality. This substitution process enables the attacker to achieve remote code execution on the target system, as the health Center agent will execute the attacker-controlled binaries without proper validation or integrity checking. The attack vector specifically targets the trust relationship between the agent and the remote server, exploiting the lack of secure transport mechanisms that would normally prevent such modifications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it provides attackers with a potential pathway for persistent system compromise and lateral movement within network environments. Organizations using the IBM Monitoring and Diagnostic Tools health Center agent become vulnerable to sophisticated attacks where adversaries can deploy custom malware or establish persistent access points through the compromised monitoring agent. The vulnerability affects systems where the health Center agent is deployed and actively downloading resources, potentially exposing critical infrastructure monitoring capabilities to unauthorized manipulation. This threat is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where monitoring agents are often deployed across multiple systems and network segments, increasing the potential attack surface and impact scope.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of secure communication protocols and comprehensive network security measures. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to versions of IBM Monitoring and Diagnostic Tools that implement HTTPS for all binary resource downloads, ensuring that cryptographic transport is enforced. Network-level protections such as deep packet inspection and traffic filtering should be deployed to detect and prevent unauthorized modifications to HTTP traffic. The implementation of certificate pinning mechanisms and strict certificate validation procedures would further strengthen the trust model. Additionally, organizations should consider network segmentation and monitoring to detect anomalous behavior from compromised agents, while establishing secure baseline configurations that enforce encrypted communication channels. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure communication practices in monitoring and diagnostic tools, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol: DNS, which emphasizes the need for encrypted communications in network-based attacks.