CVE-2018-1950 in Security Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data which could be used in further attacks against the system. IBM X-Force ID: 153430.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1950 affects IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence Virtual Appliance versions 5.2 through 5.2.4.1, representing a classic information disclosure weakness that exposes sensitive system details through error messages. This issue falls under the broader category of insecure error handling practices that have been consistently flagged in security frameworks including CWE-209, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure Through an Error Message." The vulnerability manifests when the system generates error responses that inadvertently reveal internal system information, user details, or environmental data that should remain confidential. Such exposure creates a significant risk for attackers who can leverage this information to understand the target environment's structure and potentially identify additional attack vectors.
The technical flaw stems from the appliance's inadequate error message handling mechanisms that fail to sanitize output before presenting it to users or systems. When the virtual appliance encounters processing errors or system failures, it returns error responses containing detailed information about the internal state, user accounts, or system configurations. This behavior aligns with ATT&CK technique T1211 which involves exploiting information disclosure vulnerabilities to gather intelligence about target systems. The error messages may contain database connection details, user identifiers, file paths, or system architecture information that provides attackers with crucial insights for planning more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the virtual appliance implementation, which typically serves as a centralized identity management solution, making it a potentially high-value target for adversaries seeking to escalate privileges or conduct reconnaissance activities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information exposure, as it creates opportunities for attackers to perform more targeted and effective attacks against the affected environment. An attacker who discovers this vulnerability can use the disclosed information to craft more precise attacks, potentially leading to privilege escalation, unauthorized access to user accounts, or further system compromise. The exposure of user-related information in error messages directly impacts the system's security posture by providing attackers with potential targets for credential stuffing, brute force attacks, or social engineering initiatives. Additionally, the revelation of system architecture details can enable attackers to identify other potential vulnerabilities within the same environment, as they gain insights into the underlying technologies, configurations, and operational patterns. This information disclosure creates a cascading effect where initial reconnaissance efforts can quickly escalate into more serious security incidents.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive error message sanitization procedures that ensure no sensitive information is exposed in system responses. The recommended approach involves configuring the appliance to return generic error messages that do not contain system-specific details, user identifiers, or environmental information. Security teams should also implement proper logging mechanisms to monitor for error conditions while ensuring that these logs do not inadvertently expose sensitive information. Configuration management practices should enforce that error handling is consistently applied across all system components, with regular security testing to verify that no sensitive data is leaked through error responses. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls or security monitoring solutions that can detect and block suspicious error message patterns, as outlined in the CWE-209 guidance for preventing information exposure through error handling. The vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and maintaining robust input validation and error handling mechanisms to prevent information disclosure scenarios that can significantly weaken overall security postures.