CVE-2020-4617 in Data Risk Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Data Risk Manager (iDNA) 2.0.6 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: 184930.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2020
IBM Data Risk Manager version 2.0.6 contains a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, representing a fundamental weakness in web application security where the application fails to validate the origin of requests. The flaw exists in the application's handling of state-changing operations that do not require proper authentication tokens or validation mechanisms to ensure that requests originate from legitimate user sessions.
The vulnerability operates by tricking authenticated users into executing unintended actions through malicious links or crafted web pages that leverage the user's existing session cookies. When a user visits a compromised website or clicks on a malicious link while authenticated to IBM Data Risk Manager, the application processes the request without proper verification of the request source. This allows attackers to perform administrative functions, modify data, or execute commands that should only be accessible to authorized personnel. The attack typically involves crafting a request that appears legitimate to the application but is actually initiated by an attacker's server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gain persistent access to sensitive risk management data, potentially compromising the integrity of enterprise security frameworks. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on IBM Data Risk Manager for critical data governance and risk assessment activities, as unauthorized access could lead to data manipulation, denial of service, or complete system compromise. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious site, making it difficult to detect and prevent through traditional user education methods.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens in all state-changing requests, proper validation of request origins, and implementation of Content Security Policy headers. The recommended remediation involves upgrading to a patched version of IBM Data Risk Manager or implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block CSRF attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and ensure that all web applications follow secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and request origin verification in enterprise security systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers phishing and social engineering attacks that exploit web application vulnerabilities.