CVE-2018-1666 in DataPower Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DataPower Gateway 2018.4.1.0, 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.0.11, 7.5.2.0 through 7.5.2.18, 7.5.1.0 through 7.5.1.18, 7.5.0.0 through 7.5.0.19, and 7.7.0.0 through 7.7.1.3 could allow an authenticated user to inject arbitrary messages that would be displayed on the UI. IBM X-Force ID: 144892.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1666 affects IBM DataPower Gateway versions across multiple release streams including 2018.4.1.0, 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.0.11, 7.5.2.0 through 7.5.2.18, 7.5.1.0 through 7.5.1.18, 7.5.0.0 through 7.5.0.19, and 7.7.0.0 through 7.7.1.3. This security flaw represents a significant concern for organizations relying on DataPower Gateway for API management and application security orchestration. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the user interface components of the DataPower system, creating an avenue for authenticated users to manipulate the display of messages within the administrative interface.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which describes Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) conditions where web applications fail to properly validate or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web pages. In this specific case, the flaw allows authenticated attackers to inject arbitrary messages that subsequently appear on the DataPower user interface, potentially enabling a range of malicious activities including phishing attacks, credential theft, or the disruption of administrative operations. The vulnerability exists because the system does not adequately sanitize user inputs before rendering them in the graphical interface, creating a persistent cross-site scripting vector.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple message injection, as it provides a potential foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the DataPower environment. An authenticated attacker could leverage this weakness to display misleading information to other administrators, potentially causing confusion during critical operations or leading to unauthorized actions based on false information. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on DataPower Gateway's administrative interface for managing security policies, API gateways, and application orchestration tasks, where the integrity of displayed information is crucial for operational security.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches provided by IBM, which address the input validation deficiencies in the DataPower Gateway interface components. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be enforced to limit the number of authenticated users who can access the DataPower administrative interface. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for unusual patterns in administrative interface interactions can help detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of comprehensive input validation across all user-facing components of enterprise security appliances, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access through social engineering. Organizations should also consider implementing regular security assessments of their DataPower deployments to identify similar validation gaps in other interface components.