CVE-2018-2009 in API Connect
Summary
by MITRE
IBM API Connect v2018.1 and 2018.4.1 is affected by an information disclosure vulnerability in the consumer API. Any registered user can obtain a list of all other users in all other orgs, including email id/names, etc. IBM X-Force ID: 155148.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2023
This vulnerability exists within IBM API Connect versions 2018.1 and 2018.4.1 where an information disclosure flaw allows unauthorized access to user data across organizational boundaries. The issue stems from insufficient access controls and authorization checks within the consumer API component, enabling any registered user to enumerate and extract user information from other organizations. This represents a critical breakdown in the principle of least privilege and organizational isolation that should be maintained in multi-tenant environments. The vulnerability specifically affects the consumer API functionality which handles user interactions and data access requests within the API management platform.
The technical implementation flaw manifests as a lack of proper authentication and authorization validation when processing user enumeration requests. Attackers can exploit this by making specific API calls that bypass normal access controls, allowing them to retrieve comprehensive user directory information including email addresses, names, and potentially other identifying attributes from different organizations. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-200 - Information Exposure and specifically relates to CWE-352 - Cross-Site Request Forgery when considering the broader context of unauthorized data access patterns. The flaw essentially creates a lateral information leakage channel that undermines the security boundaries between different customer organizations using the same API management platform.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to gather intelligence about other users within the system, potentially facilitating social engineering attacks, targeted phishing campaigns, or further exploitation attempts. The exposure of email addresses and user names creates opportunities for credential stuffing attacks against users who may reuse passwords across different services. Organizations using IBM API Connect may face regulatory compliance issues if user data is exposed, particularly in environments governed by privacy regulations such as gdpr or hipaa. This vulnerability also increases the attack surface for potential privilege escalation attacks where adversaries can identify high-value targets or gather information to plan more sophisticated attacks against the API ecosystem.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of proper access controls and authorization checks within the consumer API endpoints. Organizations should ensure that user enumeration requests are properly authenticated and that users can only access information within their own organization or with explicit authorization. The recommended approach involves implementing role-based access controls, enforcing strict API rate limiting, and conducting regular security testing of API endpoints. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing network segmentation and monitoring solutions to detect anomalous API access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1087.001 - Account Discovery and T1005 - Data from Local System, highlighting the reconnaissance and information gathering aspects of the attack. Regular security updates and patches from IBM should be applied immediately, and organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to user enumeration endpoints.