CVE-2019-4750 in Cloud App Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Cloud App Management 2019.3.0 and 2019.4.0 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: 173310.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2025
IBM Cloud App Management versions 2019.3.0 and 2019.4.0 contain a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability resides in the web application's failure to properly validate and authenticate cross-origin requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit trust relationships between users and the application. The flaw allows an attacker to craft specially crafted requests that, when executed by a victim's browser, can perform actions such as modifying user settings, deleting resources, or accessing sensitive data without the user's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability stems from the application's insufficient implementation of anti-CSRF tokens and lacks proper origin validation mechanisms that would normally prevent unauthorized requests from being processed. This issue directly maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery vulnerabilities in web applications, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through malicious web content. The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation as the vulnerability can be exploited through social engineering tactics where users are tricked into visiting malicious websites or clicking on compromised links. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform account takeovers, data exfiltration, or system compromise by executing commands that the authenticated user is authorized to perform. The impact is particularly severe in cloud management environments where users typically possess elevated privileges and access to critical infrastructure components. IBM Cloud App Management's web interface lacks proper CSRF protection mechanisms that would normally validate the authenticity of requests through token-based validation or referer header checks. This vulnerability represents a fundamental flaw in the application's security architecture and demonstrates poor adherence to secure coding practices. The attack surface is broad as it affects all authenticated users of the application, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple administrators and users interact with the cloud management platform. The exploitation process typically involves creating malicious web pages that automatically submit requests to the vulnerable IBM Cloud App Management interface, leveraging the victim's existing authentication session. Organizations using these specific versions should immediately implement mitigations including the deployment of CSRF tokens, implementation of proper origin validation, and consideration of additional web application firewalls. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and patch management procedures to prevent exploitation of known security flaws in cloud-based management platforms. This issue underscores the critical need for comprehensive security testing during the development lifecycle and proper implementation of security controls in cloud environments where unauthorized access can have severe operational and compliance implications. The IBM X-Force ID 173310 reference confirms the vulnerability's recognition and tracking within the security community, indicating its severity and potential impact on enterprise cloud deployments. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official IBM patches or updates while implementing additional defensive measures to protect against exploitation attempts targeting this specific CSRF vulnerability.