CVE-2016-2987 in Jazz Team Server
Summary
by MITRE
An undisclosed vulnerability in CLM applications may result in some administrative deployment parameters being shown to an attacker.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2987 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within CLM applications that exposes administrative deployment parameters to unauthorized attackers. This issue falls under the broader category of insecure direct object references and improper privilege management, as detailed in CWE-284 and CWE-285 respectively. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and improper parameter handling during the deployment process of CLM applications, which creates an avenue for malicious actors to gain unauthorized visibility into sensitive administrative configurations.
The technical flaw manifests when administrative deployment parameters are inadvertently exposed through application responses, logs, or error messages during the software deployment lifecycle. These parameters typically include database connection strings, API keys, encryption keys, and other sensitive configuration data that should remain restricted to authorized administrative users only. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific requests or by leveraging existing access points to retrieve information that would normally be protected by proper authentication and authorization mechanisms. The exposure occurs at the application level where deployment configurations are processed without adequate sanitization or access validation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposed administrative parameters can serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who gains access to these deployment parameters can potentially escalate privileges, access backend systems, or even compromise the entire application infrastructure. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers credential harvesting through various means including information discovery, and represents a significant risk to organizations relying on CLM applications for their operational workflows. The exposure of deployment parameters can lead to complete system compromise, particularly when these parameters include database credentials or service account information that provides direct access to backend systems.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including strict access control enforcement, parameter sanitization during deployment processes, and regular security auditing of application configurations. The fix should involve implementing proper authentication checks for all deployment-related endpoints and ensuring that administrative parameters are never exposed through standard application responses or error handling mechanisms. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing logging and monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access attempts and parameter exposure events. This vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST Cybersecurity Framework to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future.