CVE-2017-1319 in Tivoli Federated Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager 6.2 is affected by a vulnerability due to a missing secure attribute in encrypted session (SSL) cookie. IBM X-Force ID: 125731.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1319 affects IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager version 6.2, representing a critical security weakness in the authentication infrastructure. This flaw manifests in the improper handling of session cookies that are encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols, creating a significant risk for organizations relying on this identity management solution. The vulnerability stems from the absence of the secure attribute in SSL cookies, which fundamentally undermines the protection mechanisms designed to safeguard session integrity and user authentication states.
The technical flaw resides in the cookie management implementation where session cookies lack the secure flag that would prevent transmission over unencrypted channels. This omission creates a pathway for man-in-the-middle attacks and session hijacking attempts, as attackers can potentially intercept and exploit these cookies when users navigate between HTTP and HTTPS contexts. The secure attribute serves as a crucial security control that ensures cookies are only transmitted over secure HTTPS connections, preventing unauthorized access to session tokens that could otherwise be captured during network traffic interception.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability exposes organizations to serious security risks including unauthorized access to federated identity services, potential credential theft, and compromise of user authentication sessions. Attackers exploiting this weakness can gain access to sensitive authentication tokens that would normally be protected by SSL encryption, potentially leading to broader system compromise within the federated identity ecosystem. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where users may access services through mixed HTTP/HTTPS scenarios, creating additional attack surfaces for malicious actors.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating to patched versions of IBM Tivoli Federated Identity Manager, configuring proper cookie security attributes, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of their federated identity infrastructure. The implementation of additional security controls such as HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) enforcement and proper session management policies can help reduce the attack surface. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-614, which addresses insecure cookies, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through phishing and session hijacking. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing federated identity compromise scenarios.