CVE-2017-1262 in Security Guardium
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Guardium 10.0 is vulnerable to HTTP response splitting attacks. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability using specially-crafted URL to cause the server to return a split response, once the URL is clicked. This would allow the attacker to perform further attacks, such as Web cache poisoning, cross-site scripting, and possibly obtain sensitive information. IBM X-Force ID: 124737.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/27/2021
IBM Security Guardium version 10.0 contains a critical vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute HTTP response splitting attacks through specially crafted URLs. This vulnerability exists due to insufficient input validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the application's HTTP response handling mechanisms. When a malicious user crafts a URL containing specific characters or sequences that trigger response splitting, the server processes this input without proper validation, leading to the injection of additional HTTP response headers or content. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly encode or filter special characters that have significance in HTTP protocol communication, particularly newline characters and carriage returns that are commonly used to separate HTTP headers from response bodies.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to manipulate the HTTP response stream by injecting malicious content that gets interpreted as additional headers or response data. This occurs because the application does not adequately sanitize user input before incorporating it into HTTP responses, allowing an attacker to insert malicious HTTP headers that can redirect subsequent requests, inject content into web caches, or modify the response content in ways that compromise system integrity. The vulnerability specifically affects the application's handling of URL parameters and input fields that are directly reflected in HTTP responses without proper encoding or sanitization. According to CWE-113, this represents a weakness in HTTP response handling where insufficient validation allows for header injection attacks that can lead to various downstream security issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant as it provides attackers with multiple attack vectors beyond simple information disclosure. Successful exploitation can lead to web cache poisoning where malicious content gets cached and served to other users, cross-site scripting attacks where attacker-controlled scripts are executed in victim browsers, and potential information leakage through manipulated response content. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that can be leveraged repeatedly, as any user who clicks on a maliciously crafted URL containing the exploit payload will trigger the response splitting behavior. This makes it particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter such URLs through phishing campaigns, social engineering, or compromised web applications that interact with the Guardium system.
Organizations using IBM Security Guardium 10.0 should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and sanitization of all user-supplied data, particularly URL parameters and HTTP headers, before processing them in the application. The recommended approach involves implementing proper encoding of special characters and ensuring that HTTP response headers are properly validated and sanitized to prevent injection of malicious content. Security patches and updates from IBM should be applied immediately to address this vulnerability, as the company has recognized the severity of the issue and provided remediation guidance through their security advisory processes. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, and access controls should be implemented to limit the exposure of vulnerable endpoints. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection, as the response splitting can enable further exploitation through malicious content injection that may bypass traditional security controls and allow for more sophisticated attack chains.