CVE-2016-3060 in Financial Transaction Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Payments Director in IBM Financial Transaction Manager (FTM) for ACH Services, Check Services, and Corporate Payment Services (CPS) 3.0.0.x before fp0015 and 3.0.1.0 before iFix0002 allows remote authenticated users to conduct clickjacking attacks via a crafted web site.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3060 resides within IBM Financial Transaction Manager FTM versions 3.0.0.x prior to fp0015 and 3.0.1.0 prior to iFix0002, specifically affecting the Payments Director component that handles ACH Services, Check Services, and Corporate Payment Services. This security flaw represents a critical clickjacking vulnerability that enables remote authenticated attackers to manipulate user interactions through malicious web pages. The vulnerability stems from insufficient protection mechanisms in the web interface that fails to prevent overlay attacks where attackers can place invisible or transparent elements over legitimate interface controls to deceive users into performing unintended actions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the absence of proper clickjacking protection measures such as X-Frame-Options headers or Content Security Policy directives that should prevent the application from being embedded within iframe elements of malicious websites. When authenticated users navigate to a crafted malicious website, attackers can overlay transparent or semi-transparent web elements on top of legitimate payment interface controls, tricking users into unknowingly clicking on buttons or entering sensitive information. The flaw specifically affects the Payments Director functionality which processes financial transactions, making it particularly dangerous as it could enable unauthorized payment processing or data manipulation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to financial institutions using IBM FTM as it allows attackers to potentially execute unauthorized payment transactions or access sensitive financial data without proper authorization. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers need valid user credentials but do not require additional privileges beyond what is already granted to legitimate users. This creates a scenario where compromised user accounts could be leveraged to conduct fraudulent activities, potentially resulting in substantial financial losses and regulatory compliance violations. The impact extends beyond immediate financial damage to include reputational harm and potential legal consequences due to inadequate security controls.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability including immediate deployment of available patches and fixes from IBM, implementation of proper X-Frame-Options headers, and Content Security Policy configurations to prevent embedding of the application in malicious contexts. The mitigation strategy should also include regular security assessments of web applications and user education regarding suspicious website interactions. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-1021, which specifically addresses insufficient protection against clickjacking attacks, and corresponds to attack techniques in the ATT&CK framework under T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for phishing, as it enables attackers to manipulate user interactions through crafted web content. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious iframe usage patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts.