CVE-2018-1943 in Cloud Private
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Cloud Private 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 is vulnerable to HTTP HOST header injection, caused by improper validation of input. By persuading a victim to visit a specially-crafted Web page, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to inject arbitrary HTTP headers, which will allow the attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking. IBM X-Force ID: 153385.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2023
IBM Cloud Private versions 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 contain a critical host header injection vulnerability that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the web application framework. This flaw resides in the HTTP request processing layer where the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the Host header parameter that is submitted by clients during web requests. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-295 which specifically addresses improper certificate validation and related header manipulation issues, making it particularly dangerous in cloud environments where multiple services may be exposed through shared infrastructure. When an attacker successfully injects malicious headers through the Host field, they can manipulate the application's behavior and potentially redirect traffic or modify response headers in ways that compromise system integrity and user security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple header injection, creating multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged by threat actors to execute sophisticated attacks against the affected IBM Cloud Private environment. Through this vulnerability, attackers can perform cross-site scripting attacks by injecting malicious script tags into response headers that are subsequently executed in victim browsers. The cache poisoning aspect allows attackers to manipulate cached content by injecting headers that alter how responses are stored and served, potentially distributing malicious content to multiple users simultaneously. Session hijacking capabilities emerge when attackers can manipulate session-related headers or inject malicious session identifiers, enabling them to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to protected resources within the cloud private environment.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal user interaction, as attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when visited by victims, automatically inject the malicious Host headers into the application's request processing flow. This makes the attack surface particularly concerning for enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious content through phishing campaigns or compromised websites. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of IBM Cloud Private, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls and gain elevated privileges within the system. According to ATT&CK framework category T1190, this vulnerability aligns with the technique of exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications to gain access to sensitive information or system resources, while also supporting T1566 which covers social engineering techniques that can be used to deliver malicious payloads through crafted web content.
Organizations utilizing IBM Cloud Private 3.1.0 or 3.1.1 should immediately implement mitigations including input validation controls that sanitize all Host header values, implement strict header validation rules, and deploy web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious header injection attempts. The recommended approach involves configuring the application to reject or normalize Host headers that contain suspicious patterns or characters, while also implementing proper logging and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing Content Security Policy headers to mitigate the impact of potential cross-site scripting attacks that may result from this vulnerability, and ensure that all system administrators are trained to recognize and respond to potential host header injection attacks. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that the implemented mitigations are effective and to identify any additional vulnerabilities that may exist within the cloud private infrastructure.