CVE-2016-5758 in Access Manager
Summary
by MITRE
A cross site request forgery protection mechanism in NetIQ Access Manager 4.1 before 4.1.2 Hot Fix 1 and 4.2 before 4.2.2 could be circumvented by repeated uploads causing a high load.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/11/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5758 represents a critical weakness in NetIQ Access Manager's cross site request forgery protection mechanisms. This flaw affects versions 4.1 before 4.1.2 Hot Fix 1 and 4.2 before 4.2.2, exposing organizations to potential unauthorized actions through repeated upload operations that can overwhelm system resources. The issue stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token enforcement during file upload processes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to bypass the intended security controls by repeatedly submitting upload requests that appear legitimate but are actually malicious in nature. This circumvention occurs because the system fails to properly track or validate the authenticity of upload operations, particularly when multiple requests are made in succession. The flaw enables an attacker to perform unauthorized file uploads or modifications through forged requests that exploit the weakened CSRF protection framework.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a high-risk scenario where attackers can cause significant system load through repeated upload attempts while simultaneously bypassing security controls. The high load condition can lead to denial of service situations, resource exhaustion, and potentially unauthorized access to sensitive system functions. Organizations relying on NetIQ Access Manager for authentication and access control face potential compromise of their security infrastructure through this vulnerability.
The mitigation strategy for CVE-2016-5758 requires immediate application of the available hotfixes and patches provided by NetIQ for both affected version lines. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring controls to detect unusual upload patterns and establish rate limiting mechanisms to prevent abuse of the vulnerable functionality. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their access management infrastructure to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities that may exist within their environment.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw demonstrates how inadequate input validation and insufficient session management can create exploitable conditions that allow attackers to bypass intended security controls. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.002 which involves credential access through phishing with malicious attachments, particularly when combined with the resource exhaustion aspect that can be used to facilitate more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability represents a significant concern for organizations implementing centralized access management solutions that rely on robust CSRF protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to their systems and data.