CVE-2018-1791 in Connections
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Connections 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 is vulnerable to an External Service Interaction attack, caused by improper validation of a request property. By submitting suitable payloads, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to induce the Connections server to attack other systems. IBM X-Force ID: 148946.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2023
IBM Connections versions 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 contain a critical external service interaction vulnerability that falls under CWE-918, known as Server-Side Request Forgery. This weakness occurs when the application fails to properly validate and sanitize request properties that are intended to specify external service endpoints. The vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the application's behavior by crafting malicious payloads that cause the Connections server to make unauthorized requests to internal or external systems. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms that should have verified the legitimacy of service endpoints before initiating network communications. This vulnerability represents a significant risk as it enables attackers to leverage the legitimate Connections server as an intermediary for attacking other systems within the network perimeter.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker submits specially crafted requests that manipulate parameters controlling external service interactions. The application processes these requests without proper validation, allowing the server to establish connections to arbitrary endpoints specified by the attacker. This creates a dangerous scenario where the Connections server becomes an unwitting participant in network-based attacks against other systems. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited to bypass network security controls and access internal resources that would normally be protected by firewalls and other security measures. Attackers can potentially use this weakness to perform reconnaissance, conduct data exfiltration, or launch further attacks against systems that are normally isolated from direct internet access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate exploitation to create long-term security risks for organizations using affected IBM Connections versions. Organizations may experience unauthorized data access, potential system compromise, and increased attack surface due to the server's ability to communicate with unintended targets. The vulnerability also impacts the integrity of the application's security posture by enabling attackers to use legitimate authentication mechanisms to access other systems. This weakness can facilitate more sophisticated attacks such as lateral movement within networks, as the compromised Connections server can act as a pivot point for accessing other internal systems. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can be executed through normal application usage patterns, making detection more challenging for security monitoring systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls that sanitize all parameters controlling external service interactions, network segmentation to limit the Connections server's ability to communicate with internal systems, and regular security updates to patch the vulnerability. The implementation of web application firewalls and network monitoring solutions can help detect suspicious outbound connections that may indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also conduct thorough network audits to identify and restrict unnecessary external service interactions within the application. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing principle of least privilege controls that limit the Connections server's ability to access internal network resources. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and secure coding practices, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1046 for network service discovery. The remediation efforts should include comprehensive security testing of all external service interaction points to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other application components.