CVE-2018-2000 in Business Automation Workflow
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Business Automation Workflow 18.0.0.0 and 18.0.0.1 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery which could allow an attacker to execute malicious and unauthorized actions transmitted from a user that the website trusts. IBM X-Force ID: 154890.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2023
IBM Business Automation Workflow versions 18.0.0.0 and 18.0.0.1 contain a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws in web applications. The flaw exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the workflow management interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages or emails that, when visited or clicked by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable workflow application without the user's knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it allows attackers to manipulate business processes, modify workflow configurations, and potentially disrupt critical business operations. An attacker could leverage this CSRF vulnerability to create, modify, or delete workflow instances, alter user permissions, or even execute arbitrary commands within the workflow environment. The attack typically requires the victim to be authenticated to the IBM Business Automation Workflow application, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users maintain elevated privileges. This vulnerability directly maps to attack techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1566 for credential harvesting and T1078 for valid accounts usage, as it exploits trusted user sessions to perform malicious activities.
The security implications are severe given that IBM Business Automation Workflow is designed for enterprise process management and typically handles sensitive business data and critical workflow operations. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risks including process manipulation, data integrity compromise, and potential business disruption. The vulnerability's exploitation does not require special privileges or advanced technical skills, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users may inadvertently click malicious links or visit compromised websites. Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including proper CSRF token implementation, origin validation checks, and session management controls to protect against this attack vector. Additionally, network segmentation and regular security monitoring should be employed to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining current security patches and following secure coding practices that prevent CSRF attacks through proper request validation and token-based authentication mechanisms.