CVE-2019-4142 in Cloud Private
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Cloud Private 2.1.0, 3.1.0, 3.1.1, and 3.1.2 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: 158338.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/06/2023
IBM Cloud Private versions 2.1.0, 3.1.0, 3.1.1, and 3.1.2 contain a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized administrative actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw exists in the web-based management interfaces of IBM Cloud Private, where the system fails to properly validate and authenticate state-changing requests originating from external sources. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or exploit existing user sessions to execute commands that modify system configurations, manage user accounts, or access sensitive data without proper authorization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it provides attackers with the ability to manipulate critical system components within the IBM Cloud Private environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to containerized applications, modify network configurations, alter security policies, or even compromise the underlying infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in cloud environments where multiple users interact with shared management interfaces, as it can be exploited through social engineering techniques or by tricking users into visiting malicious websites while authenticated to the IBM Cloud Private system.
This vulnerability aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to privilege escalation and persistence within cloud environments. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the web application and authenticated users, making it difficult to detect through traditional network monitoring approaches. The exploitation requires minimal technical expertise as attackers can utilize existing tools to generate malicious requests that appear legitimate to the IBM Cloud Private system. Organizations using affected versions of IBM Cloud Private should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of web application firewalls, implementation of anti-CSRF tokens, and enforcement of proper session management controls.
The remediation strategy for this vulnerability involves applying the official IBM security patches released for each affected version, as well as implementing additional defensive measures such as configuring proper CSRF protection mechanisms within the web application layers. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their cloud infrastructure to identify any other potential CSRF vulnerabilities in related systems and ensure that all management interfaces properly implement anti-CSRF token validation. Regular security updates and vulnerability scanning should be maintained to prevent similar issues from emerging in the future, particularly given that IBM Cloud Private is a complex distributed system with multiple attack surfaces that require continuous monitoring and protection.