CVE-2016-6100 in Atlas Policy Suite
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Disposal and Governance Management for IT and IBM Global Retention Policy and Schedule Management, components of IBM Atlas Policy Suite 6.0.3 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery which could allow an attacker to execute malicious and unauthorized actions transmitted from a user that the website trusts. IBM Reference #: 2000771.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6100 affects IBM Disposal and Governance Management for IT and IBM Global Retention Policy and Schedule Management components within the IBM Atlas Policy Suite version 6.0.3. This cross-site request forgery vulnerability represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of web applications by exploiting the trust relationship between users and web servers. The affected components are part of IBM's comprehensive policy management suite designed to handle enterprise-level data retention and disposal processes, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on proper governance controls.
Cross-site request forgery attacks occur when an attacker tricks a victim's browser into submitting a forged request to a web application that the user is currently authenticated to. In this specific case, the vulnerability allows malicious actors to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of trusted users without their knowledge or consent. The flaw exists in the web application's failure to properly validate and authenticate request origins, enabling attackers to leverage legitimate user sessions for malicious purposes. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery issues in software applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification, as it can potentially compromise entire enterprise data governance processes. Attackers could manipulate retention schedules, alter disposal policies, or execute unauthorized data deletion commands that would otherwise require legitimate administrative access. Given that these components manage critical IT asset disposal and retention policies, successful exploitation could lead to compliance violations, data loss, or unauthorized access to sensitive corporate information. The attack vector typically involves social engineering tactics where users are directed to malicious websites or pages that contain hidden requests to the vulnerable IBM application, making detection and prevention particularly challenging.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, beginning with immediate patching of affected systems to the latest IBM security updates. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can help detect and block malicious requests attempting to exploit the CSRF vulnerability. Additional security controls include implementing proper anti-CSRF tokens in all web forms, ensuring that all requests are validated for proper origin and authentication, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1531, which covers "Run-time Process Injection" and related techniques, though the specific exploitation method here involves web-based request manipulation rather than process-level attacks. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure proper detection and remediation of potential CSRF attacks targeting their IBM Atlas Policy Suite implementations.