CVE-2018-1945 in Security Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance could allow a remote attacker to hijack the clicking action of the victim. By persuading a victim to visit a malicious Web site, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to hijack the victim's click actions and possibly launch further attacks against the victim. IBM X-Force ID: 153387.
VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1945 affects IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance, representing a significant client-side attack vector that exploits cross-site scripting and click hijacking mechanisms. This flaw resides within the web interface of the security appliance, creating an avenue for remote attackers to manipulate user interactions through malicious web content. The vulnerability specifically targets the browser-based administration console, where users interact with the system through standard web navigation and clicking mechanisms. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it leverages the trust relationship between users and the appliance's web interface, making it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate and malicious interactions.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of JavaScript event handlers and DOM elements within the appliance's web interface. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that exploit insufficient input validation and output encoding in the appliance's web components. When victims navigate to these malicious sites, the attacker's code can intercept and redirect click events, effectively taking control of user interactions with the appliance's interface. This click hijacking capability allows attackers to manipulate user sessions, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive administrative functions or executing commands through the appliance's web interface. The vulnerability demonstrates poor input sanitization practices and inadequate protection against malicious script injection, which aligns with common weaknesses described in CWE-79 and CWE-80.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it enables a range of sophisticated attacks that can compromise the entire security infrastructure. An attacker who successfully hijacks click actions can potentially escalate privileges, modify user accounts, or access sensitive identity management data through the appliance's administrative functions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through social engineering campaigns that trick users into visiting malicious websites, making it difficult to defend against through traditional network security measures. This attack vector represents a significant risk to organizations relying on the appliance for identity governance and intelligence functions, as it can undermine the integrity of the entire security ecosystem. The vulnerability also provides a potential pathway for attackers to establish persistent access or launch further attacks against the internal network through the compromised appliance.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates, implementing network segmentation to limit access to the appliance, and deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious content. The vulnerability requires careful monitoring of network traffic for suspicious patterns and user behavior anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication controls and access restrictions for the appliance's administrative interface, as well as conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web-based systems. The attack pattern described in this vulnerability aligns with techniques found in the ATT&CK framework under the 'Initial Access' and 'Execution' phases, particularly focusing on 'Spearphishing Attachment' and 'Browser-based Attack' tactics that leverage user trust and interaction patterns. Organizations must also establish incident response procedures specifically addressing click hijacking attacks and consider implementing user awareness training to recognize and avoid potentially malicious web content that could exploit this vulnerability.