CVE-2016-6029 in Management Platform
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Emptoris Strategic Supply Management Platform 10.0 and 10.1 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by the failure to properly enable HTTP Strict Transport Security. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information using man in the middle techniques. IBM X-Force ID: 116881.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/09/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6029 affects IBM Emptoris Strategic Supply Management Platform versions 10.0 and 10.1, representing a significant security flaw that undermines the platform's ability to protect sensitive data during transmission. This weakness stems from the platform's inadequate implementation of HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) mechanisms, which are critical for maintaining secure communication channels between clients and servers. The absence of proper HSTS configuration creates an exploitable gap that adversaries can leverage to compromise the integrity and confidentiality of data flowing through the system. The vulnerability specifically impacts the platform's ability to enforce secure HTTPS connections, leaving it susceptible to various forms of man-in-the-middle attacks that could result in unauthorized data access and potential system compromise.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to properly implement HTTP Strict Transport Security headers in the web application's response, which should instruct browsers to only communicate via secure HTTPS connections and to refuse any insecure HTTP requests. Without these security headers, attackers can intercept communications between users and the server, potentially capturing sensitive information such as session cookies, authentication tokens, and other confidential data transmitted through the platform. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-311, which addresses the absence of proper encryption of sensitive data, and CWE-319, which covers the inadequate protection of sensitive data in transit. The exploitation of this weakness enables attackers to perform session hijacking, credential theft, and other malicious activities that could lead to unauthorized access to the supply management platform's functionalities and associated business data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it creates a pathway for attackers to potentially escalate their privileges and gain deeper access to the underlying system infrastructure. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access points within the supply chain management environment, potentially compromising the integrity of procurement processes, supplier information, and financial data. The vulnerability affects the platform's ability to maintain secure communication channels, which is particularly concerning given that supply management systems often handle sensitive business information, including pricing data, supplier contracts, and confidential procurement details. This weakness could enable adversaries to disrupt business operations, steal competitive intelligence, or manipulate procurement processes, making it a critical security concern for organizations relying on the platform for strategic supply chain management.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including the proper configuration of HTTP Strict Transport Security headers, ensuring that all web applications enforce secure HTTPS connections and reject insecure HTTP requests. The implementation should include appropriate preload directives and sufficient max-age values to ensure comprehensive protection against protocol downgrade attacks. Security teams should also conduct thorough network monitoring to detect any suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, while implementing additional security controls such as certificate pinning and enhanced session management. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1046, which covers network service scanning, and T1566, which addresses credential harvesting through social engineering, highlighting the need for comprehensive security measures. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that similar weaknesses do not exist in other components of the supply chain management ecosystem, and that all security controls remain effective against evolving attack vectors.