CVE-2016-9717 in InfoSphere Master Data Management
Summary
by MITRE
HTTP Parameter Override is identified in the IBM Infosphere Master Data Management (MDM) 10.1. 11.0. 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, and 11.6 product. It enables attackers by exposing the presence of duplicated parameters which may produce an anomalous behavior in the application that can be potentially exploited.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2021
The CVE-2016-9717 vulnerability represents a critical HTTP parameter override issue within IBM Infosphere Master Data Management versions 10.1 through 11.6, classified under CWE-444 as an Inconsistent Handling of Multiple Parameters. This vulnerability arises from the application's improper handling of HTTP parameters that appear multiple times in a request, creating a potential attack surface that can be exploited to manipulate application behavior. The flaw specifically manifests when the system processes HTTP requests containing duplicate parameter names, leading to unpredictable outcomes that can be leveraged by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly normalize or validate HTTP parameters during request processing. When multiple parameters with identical names are present in an HTTP request, the system may process only the first occurrence while ignoring subsequent values, or alternatively, it might concatenate or merge these values in unexpected ways. This inconsistent behavior creates a scenario where attackers can craft malicious requests with duplicate parameters to bypass input validation controls, manipulate application logic, or potentially gain unauthorized access to restricted resources. The vulnerability operates at the HTTP protocol level, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web application attacks without requiring specialized tools or techniques.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-9717 extends beyond simple parameter handling issues, potentially enabling attackers to perform various malicious activities including but not limited to session hijacking, privilege escalation, and data manipulation. The anomalous behavior introduced by this vulnerability can be exploited to bypass authentication mechanisms, manipulate user permissions, or alter application state in ways that were not intended by the developers. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and availability of master data management systems, which are critical components in enterprise data governance. The vulnerability's exploitation can lead to unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, potentially compromising the entire master data ecosystem that organizations rely upon for business-critical operations.
Organizations utilizing IBM Infosphere MDM versions affected by CVE-2016-9717 should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves applying the official IBM security patches and updates released to address this specific issue. Additionally, organizations should implement input validation controls at the application level to normalize parameter handling and prevent duplicate parameter processing from affecting application behavior. Network-level mitigations such as web application firewalls can help detect and block malicious requests containing duplicate parameters. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect anomalous parameter usage patterns, and regular security assessments should be conducted to ensure proper parameter handling throughout the application stack. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1070.004 for Indicator Removal on Host and T1566.001 for Phishing, as it can be leveraged for initial access and privilege escalation within affected systems.