CVE-2016-8987 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.1, 7.5, and 7.6 could allow an authenticated user to view incorrect item sets that they should not have access to view.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2020
IBM Maximo Asset Management versions 7.1, 7.5, and 7.6 contain a security vulnerability that affects access control mechanisms within the application's data retrieval systems. This issue stems from insufficient authorization checks during item set retrieval operations, allowing authenticated users to bypass normal access restrictions and view data they should not be permitted to access. The vulnerability exists in the application's security model where proper role-based access controls fail to validate user permissions against specific data sets during query execution. This flaw represents a classic privilege escalation scenario where legitimate users can exploit the system's authorization logic to gain unauthorized visibility into restricted information. The affected versions demonstrate a weakness in the application's information disclosure controls, particularly when processing requests for item sets that should be filtered based on user roles and security groups.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the data access layer of Maximo Asset Management where item set queries are processed without adequate validation of user permissions. When authenticated users submit requests for item sets, the system fails to properly enforce access control policies that should restrict data visibility based on user security roles. This allows attackers to potentially discover and access data that should be restricted to specific user groups or roles, creating an information disclosure risk. The flaw specifically impacts the application's ability to properly filter data during retrieval operations, enabling unauthorized access to potentially sensitive asset management information including equipment details, maintenance records, and operational data. This issue falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, specifically addressing improper access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access protected resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially compromise the integrity of asset management data and operational decision-making processes. Organizations using affected versions of Maximo Asset Management may experience unauthorized access to critical operational data that should remain confidential within specific user groups or departments. The vulnerability could enable malicious insiders or external attackers who have gained legitimate authentication credentials to access sensitive information about asset configurations, maintenance schedules, and operational parameters that could be exploited for further attacks or competitive advantage. This issue particularly affects organizations that rely on Maximo for managing critical infrastructure assets where unauthorized visibility into operational data could impact business continuity and security posture. The vulnerability's impact is amplified when combined with other potential attack vectors, as it provides additional information that could be used to plan more sophisticated attacks against the system or organization.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the latest security patches from IBM that address the access control validation issues in the affected Maximo versions. System administrators should conduct thorough security reviews of user roles and access controls to ensure that proper segregation of duties is maintained and that unnecessary access permissions are removed. The implementation of additional logging and monitoring capabilities around data access operations can help detect unauthorized access attempts and provide audit trails for security investigations. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and additional authentication controls to limit exposure of the Maximo application to unauthorized users. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be performed to identify and remediate similar access control weaknesses within the Maximo environment. The ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques and credential access categories are relevant to understanding how this vulnerability could be exploited in combination with other attack methods. Additionally, organizations should review their incident response procedures to ensure they can effectively respond to potential unauthorized access events that may result from this vulnerability.