CVE-2018-1961 in Emptoris Contract Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Emptoris Contract Management 10.0.0 and 10.1.3.0 could disclose sensitive information from detailed information from error messages. IBM X-Force ID: 153657.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2023
IBM Emptoris Contract Management versions 10.0.0 and 10.1.3.0 contain a vulnerability that exposes sensitive information through detailed error messages, representing a classic information disclosure flaw categorized under CWE-209. This vulnerability allows attackers to gain insights into the system's internal structure and configuration by analyzing error responses that contain excessive detail. The flaw occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize error messages before returning them to users, potentially revealing database connection strings, file paths, stack traces, or other system-specific information that could aid in subsequent attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information leakage, as it provides adversaries with critical reconnaissance data that can be leveraged for privilege escalation or system compromise. Attackers can exploit this weakness to map the application's architecture, identify potential attack vectors, and gather intelligence about underlying system components. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1212, which focuses on exploiting system information discovery mechanisms to gather data about the target environment. The exposure of detailed error messages creates a pathway for threat actors to understand the application's internal workings and potentially identify additional vulnerabilities within the same system.
Security professionals should implement comprehensive input validation and output sanitization measures to address this vulnerability. The recommended mitigations include configuring the application to return generic error messages to end users while logging detailed technical information internally for administrative purposes. Organizations should also establish proper error handling procedures that prevent sensitive data exposure through error responses. This approach aligns with security best practices outlined in OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the importance of minimizing information disclosure in web applications. Regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to ensure that error handling mechanisms properly sanitize all responses before they are transmitted to users, preventing similar vulnerabilities from persisting in future releases.