CVE-2016-3020 in Security Access Manager For Web
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Access Manager for Web 7.0.0, 8.0.0, and 9.0.0 could allow a remote attacker to bypass security restrictions, caused by improper content validation. By persuading a victim to open specially-crafted content, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to bypass validation and load a page with malicious content.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2020
IBM Security Access Manager for Web versions 7.0.0, 8.0.0, and 9.0.0 contain a critical security flaw that allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and authorization mechanisms through improper content validation. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of web content and specifically affects the validation processes that should prevent unauthorized access to protected resources. The flaw enables attackers to craft malicious content that appears legitimate to the security system, thereby circumventing the intended access controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and content sanitization mechanisms within the IBM Security Access Manager. When users attempt to access protected web resources, the system should validate the content and ensure proper authorization before granting access. However, the flawed validation process fails to properly inspect or filter malicious content, allowing attackers to inject specially crafted payloads that bypass these security checks. This weakness aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation as a fundamental security flaw that can lead to various injection attacks and privilege escalation scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple access bypass to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to load malicious content that might include cross-site scripting payloads, malicious scripts, or other harmful code that could compromise user sessions or access sensitive data. The attack vector requires social engineering to persuade victims to open crafted content, making it particularly dangerous in phishing scenarios where users might inadvertently access malicious links. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and initial access categories, as it allows attackers to bypass the authentication mechanisms that should protect web applications.
Organizations using affected IBM Security Access Manager versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to protected web resources, potentially leading to data breaches, session hijacking, or further exploitation of the compromised systems. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software, indicating a widespread issue that requires immediate attention from security teams. The impact is particularly severe given that this vulnerability allows bypass of authentication mechanisms, which are fundamental to web application security. Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including patching affected systems, implementing additional content filtering mechanisms, and monitoring for suspicious access patterns or attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. The flaw demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and content sanitization in security-critical applications, as outlined in industry security standards and best practices for web application security.