CVE-2019-4045 in Business Automation Workflow
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Business Automation Workflow and IBM Business Process Manager 18.0.0.0, 18.0.0.1, and 18.0.0.2 provide embedded document management features. Because of a missing restriction in an API, a client might spoof the last modified by value of a document. IBM X-Force ID: 156241.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-4045 affects IBM Business Automation Workflow and IBM Business Process Manager versions 18.0.0.0, 18.0.0.1, and 18.0.0.2, specifically within their embedded document management capabilities. This security flaw represents a critical authorization bypass issue that undermines the integrity of document metadata within the system. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control mechanisms within the application programming interface that manages document modification tracking. The affected system fails to properly validate or restrict the values submitted by clients when updating document metadata, particularly the "last modified by" field that maintains audit trail information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows malicious actors to manipulate the document modification tracking system by submitting forged values through the exposed API endpoint. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-285 category of improper authorization, specifically manifesting as an insufficient access control mechanism where the system does not adequately verify the authenticity of user credentials or roles before accepting modification requests. The API endpoint responsible for document management lacks proper validation of the user identity associated with document changes, enabling attackers to impersonate legitimate users within the system. This vulnerability directly impacts the system's audit capabilities and can be leveraged to obscure actual document modification activities, creating false trails that compromise the integrity of the workflow management process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it undermines the fundamental trust in document management processes that organizations rely upon for compliance and operational integrity. Attackers could exploit this weakness to cover their tracks during unauthorized document modifications, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as data tampering or process manipulation. The vulnerability creates a persistent backdoor for malicious actors to alter document metadata without detection, which could have severe implications for audit trails, compliance reporting, and workflow automation processes that depend on accurate document history. This weakness particularly affects environments where document integrity is critical for business operations, regulatory compliance, or security monitoring activities.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting API access to trusted networks, implementing additional validation layers for document metadata updates, and monitoring for unusual patterns in document modification activities. The recommended approach involves strengthening access controls through proper authentication verification mechanisms, implementing input sanitization for all API parameters, and establishing additional audit checks for document metadata changes. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit access to the vulnerable API endpoints and deploy intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious modification patterns. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 related to credential harvesting and manipulation, as it enables attackers to forge user identities within the system. Organizations should also review their access control policies and ensure that proper role-based access controls are implemented to prevent unauthorized modification of document metadata, particularly in environments where document integrity is paramount for business operations and regulatory compliance requirements.