CVE-2017-1484 in WebSphere Commerce Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Commerce Enterprise, Professional, Express, and Developer 7.0 and 8.0 could allow an authenticated attacker to obtain information such as user personal data. IBM X-Force ID: 128622.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2021
IBM WebSphere Commerce versions 7.0 and 8.0 contain a security vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to access sensitive user personal data through improper information disclosure mechanisms. This flaw resides within the authentication and authorization framework of the commerce platform, where insufficient validation of user permissions allows malicious actors with legitimate credentials to escalate their access privileges and retrieve confidential information. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input sanitization and access control enforcement during data retrieval operations, creating opportunities for data exposure beyond intended user scopes.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the platform's user session management and data access controls failing to properly validate whether authenticated users possess adequate authorization levels to access specific personal information records. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specific requests that bypass normal access restrictions, potentially gaining access to customer profiles, order histories, payment information, and other sensitive data that should be restricted to authorized personnel only. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks that aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems. The flaw particularly affects the commerce platform's user management and profile retrieval functions where the system fails to properly enforce role-based access controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure to encompass significant business and regulatory risks. Organizations utilizing affected WebSphere Commerce versions face potential compliance violations under data protection regulations such as gdpr and pci dss, as unauthorized access to customer personal information constitutes serious security breaches. The vulnerability can be exploited by insiders or external attackers who have obtained legitimate user credentials through various means including credential theft, social engineering, or other initial compromise techniques. This creates a persistent threat vector that can result in identity theft, financial fraud, and reputational damage to affected organizations, with potential legal consequences and regulatory penalties.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive access control measures and strengthening session management protocols within the WebSphere Commerce environment. Organizations must ensure that proper role-based access controls are enforced at all data access points, with thorough validation of user permissions before any sensitive data retrieval occurs. Security patches and updates from IBM should be applied immediately to address the identified information disclosure flaws, while additional monitoring and logging mechanisms should be implemented to detect anomalous access patterns. Network segmentation and multi-factor authentication implementations can provide additional layers of protection, and regular security assessments should be conducted to verify proper enforcement of access controls. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of adhering to ATT&CK framework principles regarding privilege escalation and credential access, as attackers can leverage legitimate credentials to achieve unauthorized access to sensitive data through these information disclosure weaknesses.