CVE-2016-2963 in BigFix Remote Control
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM BigFix Remote Control before 9.1.3 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of arbitrary users for requests that insert XSS sequences.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2963 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM BigFix Remote Control software prior to version 9.1.3. This vulnerability resides in the authentication and session management mechanisms of the remote control application, creating a significant security risk that can be exploited by remote attackers to manipulate user sessions and execute malicious actions. The flaw specifically enables attackers to hijack authenticated sessions and inject cross-site scripting sequences, thereby compromising the integrity and confidentiality of user interactions with the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate CSRF protection mechanisms within the BigFix Remote Control application. When users authenticate to the system, the application fails to properly validate and enforce anti-CSRF tokens or mechanisms that would prevent unauthorized requests from being executed on behalf of authenticated users. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that leverage the victim's existing authenticated session, effectively bypassing the normal authentication barriers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it combines CSRF exploitation with XSS injection capabilities, enabling attackers to not only hijack sessions but also to inject malicious scripts that can persistently compromise user browsers and potentially exfiltrate sensitive data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking to encompass broader security implications within enterprise environments where BigFix Remote Control is deployed. Organizations utilizing this software face significant risks including unauthorized administrative actions, data exfiltration, and potential lateral movement within their networks. The combination of CSRF and XSS capabilities creates a multi-vector attack surface that can be exploited to establish persistent access to compromised systems. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform actions such as creating new user accounts, modifying existing configurations, accessing sensitive data, and executing arbitrary commands on target systems. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of the remote control platform, potentially compromising the entire security posture of organizations relying on BigFix for system management and monitoring.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to IBM BigFix Remote Control version 9.1.3 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the CSRF vulnerability. Additional protective measures include implementing proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms, configuring web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious requests, and establishing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and review access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can perform critical administrative functions. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery, and represents a significant concern within the ATT&CK framework under the T1078 technique for Valid Accounts and T1213 for Data from Information Repositories, highlighting the importance of proper authentication and session management controls in enterprise security environments.