CVE-2016-6020 in Sterling B2B Integrator
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Standard Edition could allow a remote attacker to conduct phishing attacks, using an open redirect attack. By persuading a victim to visit a specially-crafted Web site, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to spoof the URL displayed to redirect a user to a malicious Web site that would appear to be trusted. This could allow the attacker to obtain highly sensitive information or conduct further attacks against the victim.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6020 affects IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Standard Edition, a middleware platform designed for business-to-business integration and document exchange. This security flaw represents a critical open redirect vulnerability that enables remote attackers to manipulate web navigation through carefully crafted web requests. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of redirect URLs within the application's web interface, creating an exploitable condition where user requests can be redirected to attacker-controlled domains without proper verification of destination legitimacy.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize redirect parameters passed through web requests. When users interact with the Sterling B2B Integrator interface, the system processes redirect URLs without adequate input validation, allowing malicious actors to inject crafted URLs that appear legitimate to end users. This flaw specifically manifests in the web application's handling of redirect parameters, where the system accepts and processes user-supplied URLs without sufficient security checks to ensure their authenticity and safety.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple phishing attempts, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on the platform for sensitive business transactions. Attackers can exploit this weakness to create convincing fake login pages or fraudulent portals that appear to be legitimate parts of the Sterling B2B Integrator environment. This enables sophisticated social engineering campaigns where victims are unknowingly redirected to malicious sites that can capture credentials, steal session tokens, or deliver malware payloads. The vulnerability's remote nature means attackers do not require physical access or network proximity to exploit the flaw, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users interact with the platform.
Organizations utilizing IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Standard Edition face substantial risk from this vulnerability, as it undermines the trust model that users expect when accessing business-critical applications. The attack vector leverages the principle of least privilege by exploiting legitimate application functionality to redirect users to malicious sites, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-601 open redirect weakness classification and maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1566 credential harvesting and T1531 credential access tactics. The impact is particularly severe for organizations handling sensitive financial or personal data, as the redirect mechanism can be used to harvest authentication credentials or facilitate further attacks such as man-in-the-middle operations. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, URL sanitization, and network-level restrictions to prevent exploitation while applying vendor-provided patches to address the root cause.
The security implications of this vulnerability extend to broader enterprise security posture considerations, as it demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in web applications. Organizations must review their entire web application portfolio for similar open redirect vulnerabilities and implement comprehensive security testing procedures. The vulnerability also highlights the need for robust security awareness training to help users recognize suspicious redirects and understand the risks associated with clicking on untrusted links. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should include validation of redirect mechanisms to ensure that applications properly validate and sanitize all user-supplied URL parameters.