CVE-2020-4286 in InfoSphere Information Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7 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: 176268.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2020
IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7 contain a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws in web applications. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate users, thereby bypassing the authentication mechanisms that protect the system's administrative functions.
The technical flaw manifests in the application's failure to implement robust CSRF protection measures such as anti-CSRF tokens, origin validation, or referer header checks. When users navigate to the vulnerable system, their browser automatically includes authentication cookies in requests, creating a trust relationship that attackers can manipulate. This allows malicious actors to perform sensitive operations like creating new user accounts, modifying existing configurations, changing system settings, or executing administrative commands without proper authorization. The vulnerability particularly affects the web-based administration interfaces where users perform critical system management tasks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can lead to complete system compromise and data breaches. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could gain administrative privileges and access sensitive information stored within the InfoSphere Information Server environment. This includes metadata, data lineage information, and potentially confidential business intelligence that organizations rely on for decision-making processes. The attack requires minimal user interaction, as the malicious request can be triggered through social engineering techniques or by persuading users to visit compromised websites while authenticated to the vulnerable system.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided security patches and updates to remediate this vulnerability. System administrators should also implement additional security controls such as web application firewalls, enable strict content security policies, and conduct regular security assessments of their web applications. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive monitoring of administrative activities and user behavior analytics to detect anomalous patterns that may indicate CSRF attacks. According to ATT&CK framework category TA0001, this vulnerability represents a privilege escalation technique that attackers can use to gain elevated system access, while also aligning with TA0002 for credential access through session manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication and regular security training for administrators to reduce the risk of successful exploitation through social engineering approaches.