CVE-2016-1600 in Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The ServiceNow driver in NetIQ Identity Manager versions prior to 4.6 are susceptible to an information disclosure vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1600 affects the ServiceNow driver component within NetIQ Identity Manager versions before 4.6, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that compromises system security. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access controls within the driver's communication protocols, allowing unauthorized entities to extract sensitive data from the identity management system. The flaw specifically impacts the integration between NetIQ Identity Manager and ServiceNow platforms, creating a potential attack vector for malicious actors seeking to exploit the communication channels between these enterprise identity management systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through improper handling of authentication tokens and session data during the synchronization processes between NetIQ Identity Manager and ServiceNow. Attackers can leverage this weakness to intercept and decode sensitive information including user credentials, authentication tokens, and identity attributes that are transmitted between the systems. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200, which encompasses information exposure issues, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through service enumeration. The flaw manifests when the ServiceNow driver fails to properly validate incoming requests and does not implement adequate encryption for data transmission, creating opportunities for man-in-the-middle attacks and data interception.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1600 extends beyond simple data leakage, as it enables attackers to potentially escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to privileged accounts within the identity management infrastructure. Organizations utilizing affected NetIQ Identity Manager versions face significant risks including unauthorized identity provisioning, privilege escalation, and potential compromise of the entire identity governance framework. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the identity management ecosystem by allowing attackers to manipulate synchronization processes and potentially inject malicious data into the system. This information disclosure vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited repeatedly, as the flaw exists in core driver functionality rather than being a temporary configuration issue.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1600 require immediate implementation of the vendor-provided security patches and updates for NetIQ Identity Manager versions prior to 4.6. Organizations should enforce strict network segmentation and implement additional monitoring controls to detect unauthorized access attempts to identity management systems. The implementation of encrypted communication channels using TLS 1.2 or higher standards becomes critical for protecting data in transit between NetIQ Identity Manager and ServiceNow platforms. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify potential exploitation paths, while also implementing robust access control policies and privileged account management procedures. Organizations must also consider implementing network intrusion detection systems and log monitoring solutions specifically designed to detect anomalous behavior in identity management communication channels, as outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and aligned with ATT&CK framework recommendations for credential access and defense evasion techniques.