CVE-2016-5979 in Distributed Marketing
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Distributed Marketing 8.6, 9.0, and 10.0 could allow a privileged authenticated user to create an instance that gets created with security profile not valid for the templates, that results in the new instance not accessible for the intended user. IBM X-Force ID: 116379.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/26/2020
IBM Distributed Marketing versions 8.6, 9.0, and 10.0 contain a security vulnerability that allows authenticated users with privileged access to manipulate instance creation processes. This flaw stems from insufficient validation of security profiles during template instantiation, creating a scenario where new instances are generated with invalid security configurations that do not align with the intended user's access rights. The vulnerability represents a privilege escalation issue where users can effectively bypass access controls by creating instances that are not properly constrained by their security profiles, resulting in unauthorized access to resources that should remain restricted.
The technical flaw manifests in the template-based instance creation mechanism where the system fails to properly validate that the security profile assigned to a new instance matches the valid templates available to the user. This validation gap creates a path where a privileged user can manipulate the creation parameters to generate instances with security configurations that are either too permissive or incompatible with the intended access controls. The vulnerability is classified as a weakness in the system's access control implementation and aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and CWE-285, which covers improper authorization issues. The flaw exists in the authorization enforcement phase of the system's security model, where proper checks are not performed during the instance creation lifecycle.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it undermines the integrity of the access control system within IBM Distributed Marketing. When a privileged authenticated user exploits this vulnerability, they can create instances that are not accessible to the intended users, potentially leading to information disclosure or unauthorized access to sensitive marketing data. This issue affects the system's ability to maintain proper separation of duties and access boundaries, which is critical for maintaining data confidentiality and integrity. The vulnerability allows for potential privilege abuse where users can manipulate instance creation to bypass security controls that should prevent unauthorized access to marketing campaigns, customer data, or system resources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing stricter validation of security profiles during instance creation processes. Organizations should ensure that all template-based instance creation includes comprehensive checks to verify that security profiles are valid for the templates being used and that they align with the user's authorization level. System administrators should review and tighten access controls for privileged users, implementing additional audit logging to monitor instance creation activities. The remediation process should include patching to the affected versions of IBM Distributed Marketing, along with implementing proper input validation and access control mechanisms that prevent users from creating instances with invalid security configurations. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following security best practices such as least privilege principles and proper security profile management, as outlined in various cybersecurity frameworks and standards including those referenced in the ATT&CK framework for privilege escalation techniques.