CVE-2017-1141 in Insights Foundation for Energy
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Insights Foundation for Energy 1.0, 1.5, and 1.6 could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information from error messages. IBM X-Force ID: 121907.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1141 affects IBM Insights Foundation for Energy versions 1.0, 1.5, and 1.6, representing a significant information disclosure weakness that could be exploited by authenticated attackers. This flaw resides within the error handling mechanisms of the energy insights platform, which is designed to provide analytical capabilities for energy sector operations and monitoring. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system generates error messages that inadvertently expose sensitive internal system information to authenticated users who should not have access to such data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error message sanitization within the application's response handling system. When certain operations fail or encounter exceptions, the platform returns detailed error responses that contain system-specific information including file paths, stack traces, database connection details, and potentially configuration parameters. This behavior directly violates security best practices for error handling and follows the CWE-209 vulnerability classification, which addresses "Information Exposure Through an Error Message" where error messages reveal sensitive system information. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be leveraged by malicious actors who have legitimate credentials to access the system, making it particularly dangerous as it bypasses traditional perimeter-based security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as the exposed data could enable attackers to conduct more sophisticated attacks against the system. An attacker with access to error messages could potentially map the application architecture, identify database structures, discover system vulnerabilities, and gather intelligence for further exploitation. This information could be used to plan targeted attacks against the energy infrastructure monitoring system, potentially leading to service disruption, data compromise, or even operational damage to energy facilities. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and T1069 (Permission Groups Discovery) as attackers could use the leaked information to understand system permissions and file structures. The presence of this vulnerability in energy sector monitoring platforms raises particular concerns given the critical nature of energy infrastructure and the potential for cascading effects if attackers gain deeper system access.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive error handling improvements, regular security code reviews, and enhanced logging mechanisms that do not expose sensitive information. The recommended remediation involves modifying the application's error handling code to return generic error messages to users while maintaining detailed logging for system administrators. This approach aligns with the principle of least privilege and follows security frameworks such as the OWASP Top Ten recommendations for secure error handling. Additionally, implementing proper input validation, output encoding, and regular penetration testing would help prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future. System administrators should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their energy monitoring platforms to identify other potential information disclosure issues that could compromise operational security in critical infrastructure environments.