CVE-2018-1994 in InfoSphere Information Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.5 and 11.7 is vulnerable to SQL injection. A remote attacker could send specially-crafted SQL statements, which could allow the attacker to view, add, modify or delete information in the back-end database. IBM X-Force ID: 154494.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2023
IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.5 and 11.7 contain a critical SQL injection vulnerability that represents a severe security weakness in the database interaction layer of this enterprise data integration platform. This vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization within the application's query processing mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to inject arbitrary SQL commands through carefully crafted user inputs. The flaw exists in the way the system handles database queries, particularly when processing user-supplied parameters that are directly incorporated into SQL statements without proper escaping or parameterization.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input that bypasses the application's input validation controls and gets executed as part of the backend database query. This allows unauthorized access to sensitive data through data retrieval operations, and potentially enables privilege escalation through data modification or deletion activities. The vulnerability falls under CWE-89 which specifically addresses SQL injection flaws where untrusted data is incorporated into SQL commands without proper sanitization. The attack vector is remote and does not require authentication to the underlying database, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from outside the network perimeter.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations using IBM InfoSphere Information Server for critical data integration and management tasks. The potential impact includes unauthorized data access, data corruption, and complete compromise of sensitive information stored within the integrated database systems. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to extract confidential business data, manipulate customer records, or disrupt data processing workflows that are essential to business operations. The vulnerability affects the integrity and confidentiality of data assets, potentially leading to compliance violations under regulations such as gdpr, hipaa, and other data protection frameworks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, implementing web application firewalls, and conducting thorough input validation across all user-facing interfaces. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit potential attack surfaces. The vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and T1190 for exploit for client execution, while also representing a classic example of T1213 for data from information repositories. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the broader application ecosystem, as SQL injection vulnerabilities are among the most commonly exploited security flaws in enterprise applications according to industry threat intelligence reports.