CVE-2020-4685 in Cognos Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 11/11/2020
A low level user of IBM Cognos Controller 10.3.0, 10.3.1, 10.4.0, 10.4.1, and 10.4.2 who has Administration rights to the server where the application is installed, can escalate their privilege from Low level to Super Admin and gain access to Create/Update/Delete any level of user in Cognos Controller. IBM X-Force ID: 186625.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/05/2020
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw within IBM Cognos Controller versions 10.3.0 through 10.4.2, where a low-level user with administrative rights on the server can elevate their privileges to super administrator status. The flaw stems from insufficient access controls and improper privilege validation mechanisms within the application's authentication and authorization framework. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can bypass normal security boundaries to gain full administrative control over the Cognos Controller environment, enabling them to manipulate user accounts at any level including creating, modifying, or deleting users with elevated privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows for unauthorized privilege escalation through the application's server-side administrative functions. The flaw manifests when a user with limited access rights attempts to perform administrative operations that should be restricted to super administrators only. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks where the system fails to properly validate whether the requesting user possesses the necessary privileges before executing administrative functions. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically targeting improper access control mechanisms that permit unauthorized users to perform privileged operations.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability creates significant risk exposure for organizations using IBM Cognos Controller, as it allows attackers to gain complete control over user management functions and potentially access sensitive financial data. The impact extends beyond simple user account manipulation to encompass the potential for data tampering, unauthorized access to confidential information, and disruption of business processes that rely on accurate financial reporting. Organizations may face compliance violations and regulatory penalties if sensitive financial data becomes compromised through unauthorized user modifications or access.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires the attacker to already possess low-level user credentials and administrative access to the server hosting the Cognos Controller application, making it a privilege escalation rather than a direct authentication bypass. This means the vulnerability is particularly concerning in environments where server-level access is more widely distributed or where least privilege principles are not properly enforced. Security teams should consider this vulnerability in the context of ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it leverages legitimate administrative access to escalate privileges, and T1548 Abuse of Functionality, where legitimate application features are misused to achieve unauthorized access. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including restricting server-level administrative access, implementing robust access control policies, and ensuring proper privilege separation between different user roles within the Cognos Controller environment.