CVE-2020-4199 in Tivoli Netcool
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus 8.1.0 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: 174910.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2025
IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus version 8.1.0 contains 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-based administrative interface of the network monitoring and incident management platform, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for critical infrastructure monitoring. The flaw allows an attacker to craft malicious requests that, when executed by a victim user with valid session credentials, can manipulate the system's configuration or data without the user's knowledge or consent. The vulnerability specifically affects the web application's lack of proper anti-CSRF token validation mechanisms, making it susceptible to attacks where an attacker can trick a legitimate user into executing unwanted operations through crafted web requests.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and missing anti-CSRF tokens in critical administrative functions within the Netcool/OMNIbus web interface. When users authenticate to the system, their session remains active and trusted by the application, but the absence of proper CSRF protection means that malicious actors can leverage this trust relationship to perform actions such as modifying user permissions, changing system configurations, or executing administrative commands. This weakness is particularly dangerous because the affected system typically runs in enterprise environments where administrative privileges are granted to users with significant system access, potentially allowing attackers to escalate their privileges or compromise entire monitoring infrastructures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can lead to complete system compromise when combined with other attack vectors or when targeting high-privilege accounts. Organizations using IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus may experience unauthorized modifications to critical monitoring data, potential data exfiltration, or disruption of network monitoring capabilities that could mask other security incidents. The vulnerability affects the integrity and availability of the monitoring platform, potentially causing false alerts or missed security events that could have catastrophic consequences in mission-critical environments. According to industry standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.002 for Phishing and T1078.004 for Valid Accounts to maintain persistent access and lateral movement within compromised environments.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including enabling proper anti-CSRF token validation across all administrative functions, implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication, and restricting network access to the web interface through firewalls and network segmentation. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attacks, implementing Content Security Policy headers to limit cross-origin requests, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the Netcool/OMNIbus platform. IBM has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations should ensure they apply these fixes promptly while also implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious activities that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all user requests and implementing proper session management controls in enterprise web applications to prevent unauthorized actions that could compromise system integrity and security posture.