CVE-2018-7674 in Identity Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The NetIQ Identity Manager user console, in versions prior to 4.7, is susceptible to URL redirection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/24/2023
The CVE-2018-7674 vulnerability affects NetIQ Identity Manager user console versions prior to 4.7, representing a critical security flaw that enables unauthorized URL redirection attacks. This vulnerability resides within the authentication and session management mechanisms of the identity management platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for user provisioning and access control. The flaw specifically impacts the console's handling of redirect parameters, allowing malicious actors to manipulate URL redirection behavior during authentication flows. Organizations relying on NetIQ Identity Manager for identity governance and administration face significant risk exposure when operating vulnerable versions, as this weakness can be exploited to facilitate various attack vectors including credential theft and unauthorized access to privileged systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the user console's redirect parameter processing. When users authenticate through the console, the system accepts redirect URLs without proper validation of their legitimacy or domain boundaries. This weakness creates an opportunity for attackers to craft malicious URLs that redirect authenticated users to attacker-controlled domains, potentially enabling phishing attacks or credential harvesting. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including social engineering, cross-site scripting payloads, or direct manipulation of web parameters. According to CWE classification, this represents a weakness in input validation and improper neutralization of special elements used in URL redirection, specifically categorized under CWE-601 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical sophistication and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where identity managers serve as critical access points for privileged users.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-7674 extends beyond simple redirection attacks, as it can facilitate more sophisticated compromise scenarios within enterprise networks. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can redirect users to malicious sites that appear legitimate within the corporate context, potentially capturing credentials or executing malicious code through targeted phishing campaigns. The attack surface is particularly concerning in environments where the Identity Manager console serves as a gateway to sensitive systems, as successful exploitation could lead to privilege escalation and lateral movement within the network. This vulnerability directly impacts the principle of least privilege and can undermine the security posture of organizations relying on NetIQ Identity Manager for identity governance. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting through phishing and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage, demonstrating how this weakness can enable broader attack chains. Organizations may experience cascading security incidents when attackers use this vulnerability to gain initial access or to pivot to other systems within their infrastructure.
Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through patch management processes to upgrade to NetIQ Identity Manager version 4.7 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Security teams should implement network monitoring to detect anomalous redirect behavior and establish proper input validation controls for all web applications. Additional mitigations include implementing strict URL validation policies, deploying web application firewalls with security rules targeting suspicious redirect patterns, and conducting regular security assessments of identity management systems. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies for critical infrastructure components. Security controls should also include user education about phishing risks and the importance of verifying URLs before authentication, as social engineering remains a primary exploitation vector for this type of vulnerability. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify other potentially affected systems within their environment that may share similar implementation weaknesses in URL handling mechanisms.