CVE-2018-1698 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6 through 7.6.3 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to obtain sensitive information from error messages. IBM X-Force ID: 145967.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
IBM Maximo Asset Management version 7.6 through 7.6.3 contains a vulnerability that exposes sensitive information through error messages, creating potential attack vectors for unauthenticated adversaries. This flaw represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability where the application fails to properly sanitize error responses, allowing attackers to extract confidential data from system errors. The vulnerability specifically affects the web application layer where error handling mechanisms do not adequately filter or mask sensitive information during error message generation. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that trigger error conditions within the Maximo application, thereby exposing internal system details, configuration information, or data structures that should remain hidden from external entities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling procedures within the IBM Maximo application framework. When the system encounters processing errors or invalid requests, it generates error responses that contain detailed system information including stack traces, database connection details, or internal file paths. This behavior violates fundamental security principles for error message handling and aligns with CWE-209, which addresses "Information Exposure Through an Error Message" in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog. The vulnerability manifests when unauthenticated users can access these error responses without proper authorization checks, effectively bypassing authentication mechanisms that should protect sensitive system information.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations using IBM Maximo Asset Management in production environments. Attackers can leverage the exposed information to gain insights into the underlying system architecture, database configurations, and application internals, which significantly reduces the overall security posture. The vulnerability enables reconnaissance activities that could lead to more sophisticated attacks, including privilege escalation attempts or targeted exploitation of other system weaknesses. Organizations may experience compliance violations if sensitive data is exposed through these error messages, particularly in regulated environments where data protection standards require strict information handling practices. The exposure of internal system details through error responses provides attackers with valuable intelligence that could be used to plan further attacks against the Maximo environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust error handling mechanisms that sanitize all error responses before transmission to users. Organizations should configure the Maximo application to return generic error messages that do not contain sensitive system information while maintaining detailed logging for administrative purposes. The implementation should follow security best practices outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, ensuring that error handling does not inadvertently expose system internals. System administrators should also implement proper monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect unusual error message patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. IBM has released patches and fixes for this vulnerability in later versions of Maximo, and organizations should prioritize upgrading to patched versions to eliminate the risk of information disclosure through error responses. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should be implemented to limit exposure of the Maximo application to unauthorized users, reducing the attack surface available to potential exploiters.