CVE-2017-1300 in OpenPages GRC Platform
Summary
by MITRE
IBM OpenPages GRC Platform 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery which could allow an attacker to execute malicious and unauthorized actions transmitted from a user that the website trusts. IBM X-Force ID: 125162.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1300 affects IBM OpenPages GRC Platform versions 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3, representing a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that undermines the platform's security posture. This vulnerability resides within the web application's authentication and session management mechanisms, specifically targeting the platform's inability to properly validate and verify the origin of HTTP requests. The flaw allows attackers to exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its users, enabling them to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users without their knowledge or consent.
Cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities typically occur when web applications fail to implement proper anti-CSRF tokens or validation mechanisms in their request processing workflows. In the context of IBM OpenPages GRC Platform, this weakness manifests when legitimate users interact with the platform while simultaneously being exposed to malicious web content or links. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction, often involving social engineering tactics where victims are tricked into clicking malicious links or visiting compromised websites that automatically submit forged requests to the vulnerable platform. This attack vector directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to significant unauthorized access and data manipulation scenarios.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized actions, potentially compromising the integrity and confidentiality of governance, risk management, and compliance data that the OpenPages platform handles. Attackers could leverage this flaw to modify user permissions, create or delete critical business records, alter risk assessments, or manipulate compliance reports that are essential for enterprise governance. Given that OpenPages GRC Platform is designed for enterprise-level risk management and compliance tracking, successful exploitation could result in substantial business disruption, regulatory violations, and potential financial losses. The vulnerability's presence in multiple platform versions suggests a systemic issue within the application's architecture rather than a localized bug.
Organizations utilizing affected IBM OpenPages versions should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations, implementation of proper referer header validation, and enforcement of strict session management controls. The fix should align with industry standards such as CWE-352, which categorizes cross-site request forgery as a fundamental web application security weakness requiring comprehensive protection mechanisms. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls with CSRF detection capabilities and conduct regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications. Additionally, user education regarding suspicious links and phishing attempts remains crucial in defending against exploitation attempts that rely on social engineering components. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and following secure coding practices that prevent unauthorized privilege escalation through web-based attack vectors.