CVE-2016-5954 in WebSphere Portal
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF30, 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF21, and 8.5.0 before CF12 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service by uploading temporary files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2019
IBM WebSphere Portal versions 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF30, 8.0.0 through 8.0.0.1 CF21, and 8.5.0 before CF12 contain a vulnerability that permits remote authenticated users to induce a denial of service condition through the strategic upload of temporary files. This vulnerability falls under the category of insufficient resource management as classified by CWE-400, where the application fails to properly handle temporary file creation and management processes. The flaw specifically manifests when authenticated users upload temporary files to the portal system, which can then be exploited to consume excessive system resources and ultimately lead to service disruption. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authenticated access, meaning that users who have legitimate credentials can leverage this weakness to compromise system availability. This represents a classic example of a resource exhaustion attack pattern that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service interruption as it can affect the overall stability and responsiveness of the portal infrastructure, potentially disrupting business operations and user access to critical information systems. Organizations running these affected versions of IBM WebSphere Portal face significant risk of operational disruption when this vulnerability is exploited by malicious actors who have gained legitimate authentication credentials.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of temporary file handling mechanisms within the WebSphere Portal framework. When authenticated users upload temporary files, the system's resource management logic fails to adequately validate or limit the number and size of these temporary files, creating opportunities for resource exhaustion. This flaw typically occurs during the processing of uploaded content where temporary files are created to store intermediate data during operations such as file processing, content rendering, or workflow execution. The vulnerability is rooted in the application's insufficient input validation and resource allocation controls, which allow attackers to create an excessive number of temporary files that consume available disk space, memory, or file handle resources. The exploitation process does not require specialized tools or advanced technical knowledge, making it accessible to a broad range of threat actors who possess valid user credentials. This characteristic significantly increases the attack surface and potential impact of the vulnerability within enterprise environments where user authentication is common and legitimate access is necessary for business operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability must implement immediate mitigations to protect their WebSphere Portal deployments from potential exploitation. The primary recommended action involves applying the relevant IBM security patches and cumulative fixes that address this specific resource management issue. System administrators should also consider implementing additional controls such as limiting the number of temporary files that can be created per user session, setting quotas on temporary file storage, and monitoring for unusual file creation patterns. Network-level mitigations can include implementing rate limiting on file upload operations and configuring intrusion detection systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper resource management and input validation in enterprise portal systems, as highlighted by CWE-400's emphasis on preventing resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should also review their access control policies and user privilege management to minimize the potential impact of authenticated attacks, implementing the principle of least privilege to reduce the risk of exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar resource management weaknesses in other applications and systems within the enterprise infrastructure.
This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper resource management in web application frameworks, particularly in enterprise portal systems that handle large volumes of user-generated content. The flaw represents a gap in the application's defensive mechanisms that allows legitimate authenticated users to abuse system resources for malicious purposes, demonstrating the need for comprehensive security testing that includes resource exhaustion scenarios. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-400 underscores the fundamental security principle that applications must properly manage system resources to prevent abuse that could lead to service disruption. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability highlights the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust monitoring procedures that can detect anomalous resource consumption patterns. The attack vector through authenticated access also emphasizes the importance of strong identity and access management controls, as the vulnerability could be exploited by insiders or compromised legitimate users. Organizations should also consider implementing automated remediation procedures that can detect and respond to resource exhaustion conditions before they escalate to full denial of service events. The incident reinforces the broader security principle that resource management must be considered during both development and operational phases of application lifecycle management, ensuring that applications are resilient against various forms of resource-based attacks that could compromise availability and system integrity.