CVE-2017-1116 in Campaign
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Campaign 8.6, 9.0, 9.1, 9.1.1, 9.1.2, and 10.0 contains excessive details on the client side which could provide information useful for an authenticated user to conduct other attacks. IBM X-Force ID: 121154.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
IBM Campaign versions 8.6 through 10.0 contain a vulnerability that exposes excessive client-side information through detailed error messages and debugging data. This flaw falls under the category of information disclosure vulnerabilities, specifically aligning with CWE-209 which addresses the exposure of error information that could aid attackers in crafting more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability manifests when authenticated users interact with the application, receiving detailed technical information that should remain hidden from end users. This excessive information disclosure creates opportunities for attackers to gather intelligence about the application's architecture, underlying technologies, and potential attack vectors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's error handling mechanisms failing to properly sanitize error messages and debugging information before displaying them to authenticated users. When system errors occur during client-side operations, the application returns detailed stack traces, internal component names, version numbers, and other technical artifacts that provide attackers with valuable insights into the system's inner workings. This information can be leveraged to identify specific vulnerabilities in the application's components, understand the data flow patterns, and potentially escalate attacks through techniques such as cross-site scripting or other injection attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects authenticated users, meaning that an attacker who has gained initial access could use this information to plan more targeted and effective attacks against the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it significantly increases the attack surface for malicious actors who have already established authentication access to the system. Attackers can use the exposed information to craft more precise attacks against other components of the IBM Campaign application or related systems. The vulnerability creates a pathway for privilege escalation attacks where attackers can leverage the detailed information to identify weak points in the application's security architecture. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where IBM Campaign is used for customer engagement and marketing automation, as the disclosed information could potentially be used to target other systems within the organization's network infrastructure.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability, including proper error handling configuration that prevents detailed technical information from being exposed to authenticated users. The recommended approach involves implementing generic error messages that do not reveal system internals while maintaining proper logging for administrators to troubleshoot issues. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block attempts to access detailed error information, along with regular security assessments to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability relates to T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1069 (Permission Groups Discovery) as attackers can use the disclosed information to map the system architecture and identify potential privilege escalation opportunities. Organizations should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regular security updates to prevent exploitation of this and similar vulnerabilities. The IBM security advisory recommends immediate patching of affected versions and proper configuration of error handling mechanisms to prevent unauthorized disclosure of sensitive system information.