CVE-2019-4394 in Cloud Orchestrator
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Cloud Orchestrator 2.4 through 2.4.0.5 and 2.5 through 2.5.0.9 contain APIs that could be used by a local user to send email. IBM X-Force ID: 162232.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2024
IBM Cloud Orchestrator versions 2.4 through 2.4.0.5 and 2.5 through 2.5.0.9 contain a vulnerability that allows local users to send emails through exposed APIs without proper authentication or authorization mechanisms. This represents a significant security flaw in the platform's email functionality implementation, where the system fails to properly validate user credentials or enforce access controls before permitting email transmission operations. The vulnerability exists within the application programming interfaces that handle email services, creating an attack surface that malicious local users can exploit to send unauthorized emails.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control issues in software systems. The flaw enables privilege escalation or unauthorized access to email functionality that should only be available to authenticated administrators or authorized personnel. This misconfiguration allows any local user with access to the system to leverage the exposed APIs for sending emails, potentially leading to spamming, phishing attacks, or information disclosure through email content manipulation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer where email services are exposed without adequate security controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates multiple risk vectors for organizations using IBM Cloud Orchestrator. Local users can potentially abuse the email functionality to send malicious emails to internal or external recipients, perform social engineering attacks, or overwhelm email systems with spam. The attack surface extends beyond simple unauthorized email sending to include potential data exfiltration through email content, as local users could craft and send sensitive information through the compromised email channels. Additionally, the vulnerability may enable attackers to establish persistence or conduct reconnaissance activities by sending emails to predetermined addresses or domains.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including disabling or restricting access to the vulnerable email APIs, enforcing strict authentication and authorization controls, and monitoring for unauthorized email sending activities. The recommended approach involves reviewing and tightening access controls for all exposed APIs, implementing proper user authentication mechanisms, and establishing network segmentation to limit local user access to critical system functions. Security monitoring should include logging and alerting on email sending activities, particularly those originating from local accounts or unauthorized system access points. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices for API design and implementation, including proper input validation, access control enforcement, and secure coding practices that prevent unauthorized access to system functionality.
The vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1078 which covers legitimate credentials usage for persistence and privilege escalation, as local users could leverage this functionality to maintain access or conduct unauthorized activities. Additionally, the email sending capability could support techniques like T1566 for social engineering attacks or T1059 for command and control communications through email channels. Organizations should also consider implementing network access controls and firewall rules to restrict access to these vulnerable APIs, particularly from local system accounts that do not require direct email functionality access. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other system components and ensure proper implementation of security controls.