CVE-2020-4773 in Curam Social Program Management
Summary
by MITRE • 10/12/2020
A cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability may impact IBM Curam Social Program Management 7.0.9 and 7.0.10, which is an attack that forces a user to execute unwanted actions on the web application while they are currently authenticated. This applies to a single server class only, with no impact to remainder of web application. IBM X-Force ID: 189151.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-4773 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within IBM Curam Social Program Management version 7.0.9 and 7.0.10. This CSRF vulnerability operates by exploiting the trust relationship between web applications and authenticated users, enabling attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The flaw specifically targets a single server class within the application architecture, creating a confined attack surface that limits the scope of potential impact while still presenting significant security risks. The vulnerability allows malicious actors to manipulate user sessions and execute unintended operations without requiring additional authentication credentials, leveraging the existing authenticated session to perform actions that the user did not intend to authorize.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms within the targeted server class. When users navigate to malicious websites or receive crafted email attachments containing malicious links, the application fails to verify that requests originate from legitimate sources within the trusted domain. This weakness enables attackers to craft specially formatted requests that, when executed by authenticated users, trigger unintended operations within the application. The vulnerability specifically affects the server class handling certain administrative functions, making it particularly dangerous for privileged users who maintain access to sensitive program management features. The flaw aligns with CWE-352, which classifies cross-site request forgery as a well-known security weakness that allows attackers to perform actions with the privileges of authenticated users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can enable attackers to modify program configurations, alter user permissions, or manipulate social program data without detection. For organizations utilizing IBM Curam Social Program Management, this represents a significant risk to data integrity and program administration processes. The confined nature of the vulnerability to a single server class means that while the attack surface is limited, the potential damage within that scope can be substantial. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to perform operations such as adding new users, modifying existing records, or changing system configurations that could disrupt service delivery and compromise sensitive social program information. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to establish persistent access patterns or escalate privileges within the targeted server class.
Organizations affected by CVE-2020-4773 should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the vulnerable server class, implementation of proper referer header validation, and consideration of additional authentication mechanisms for critical administrative functions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing comprehensive security controls that address both authentication and authorization aspects of web application security. Security teams should also consider implementing network-level controls and monitoring for suspicious request patterns that could indicate CSRF attack attempts. The flaw highlights the necessity of maintaining current security patches and following industry best practices for web application security, including adherence to the OWASP Top Ten security guidelines. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities across their entire application portfolio and ensure proper security controls are implemented throughout their systems. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper session management and request validation mechanisms in preventing unauthorized operations within web applications.