CVE-2016-6103 in Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager 2.5 and 2.6 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2017
IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager version 2.5 and 2.6 contains a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws in web applications. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or send specially crafted requests that, when executed by a victim who is authenticated to the Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager system, will perform actions without the user's knowledge or consent. The impact extends to potential compromise of key management operations, unauthorized key generation, modification, or deletion, and could lead to complete system compromise. This vulnerability represents a significant threat to cryptographic key security infrastructure, as it allows attackers to manipulate the key lifecycle management process that is critical for maintaining secure cryptographic operations. The attack typically requires the victim to be authenticated to the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users maintain persistent sessions. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1531 - Run-time Application Masking and T1078 - Valid Accounts, as it leverages existing authenticated sessions to execute malicious commands. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the key management system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to encrypted data and disruption of cryptographic services. Organizations using these versions of IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager should immediately implement mitigations including proper CSRF token validation, origin header checking, and session management controls. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing robust web application security measures, particularly in systems managing cryptographic keys and sensitive security infrastructure components. Additionally, this vulnerability demonstrates the need for regular security updates and patches to address known weaknesses in enterprise security management platforms.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the application's failure to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources within the same origin domain. IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager's web interface does not adequately verify the authenticity of requests, allowing attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its users. The vulnerability specifically affects administrative functions within the key management system, where unauthorized modifications could result in complete compromise of the cryptographic infrastructure. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform actions such as creating new key pairs, modifying existing keys, or deleting critical cryptographic assets. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access to include potential data exposure and service disruption, as key management systems are fundamental to enterprise security operations. This vulnerability represents a classic example of how insufficient input validation and lack of proper session management can lead to severe security consequences in enterprise applications. The attack vector typically involves sending malicious requests through social engineering techniques or embedding exploit code in compromised websites that target authenticated users. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability affects not just the web interface but potentially the entire key lifecycle management process, including key generation, distribution, storage, and destruction phases. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-352 underscores the fundamental nature of CSRF flaws and their potential to undermine the security of web-based systems managing critical infrastructure components. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring and logging of administrative activities to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of principle of least privilege in key management systems, where even authenticated users should be subject to additional verification mechanisms for sensitive operations. According to industry best practices, this vulnerability requires immediate remediation through proper implementation of CSRF protection mechanisms, including the use of anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation, and proper session handling. The attack surface for this vulnerability is particularly concerning given the critical nature of key management operations and the potential for widespread impact when exploited in enterprise environments.