CVE-2018-1840 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to gain elevated privileges on the system, caused when a security domain is configured to use a federated repository other than global federated repository and then migrated to a newer release of WebSphere Application Server. IBM X-Force ID: 150813.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1840 affects IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 8.5 and 9.0, representing a critical privilege escalation flaw that could be exploited by remote attackers to gain elevated system privileges. This security weakness specifically manifests when the application server is configured to utilize a federated repository other than the global federated repository and subsequently undergoes migration to a newer release of the WebSphere Application Server platform. The issue stems from improper handling of security domain configurations during the migration process, creating a pathway for unauthorized privilege elevation that could compromise the entire system.
The technical flaw involves a configuration management issue within the WebSphere Application Server security framework where the migration process fails to properly validate or update security domain references when transitioning from older to newer versions. This misconfiguration allows attackers to exploit the inconsistency between the original federated repository configuration and the migrated system state, potentially enabling them to bypass authentication mechanisms and execute operations with elevated privileges. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages the migration process itself as an attack vector, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard security monitoring approaches.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to potentially enable full system compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive data and resources within the WebSphere environment. Attackers could exploit this flaw to gain administrative access to the application server, potentially leading to data theft, system disruption, or further lateral movement within the network infrastructure. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors do not require physical access or local system credentials to exploit the vulnerability, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where WebSphere servers may be exposed to external networks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant IBM security patches and updates to address the privilege escalation vulnerability in WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0. Security configurations should be reviewed to ensure proper migration procedures are followed when updating WebSphere instances, with particular attention to federated repository settings and security domain configurations. The mitigation strategy should also include monitoring for unauthorized configuration changes and implementing strict access controls around the WebSphere administration interfaces. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1078 (Valid Accounts) as it exploits legitimate administrative access paths to achieve privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and additional monitoring controls to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure proper configuration management practices are maintained throughout the application lifecycle.