CVE-2021-29854 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE • 05/03/2022
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6.1.1 and 7.6.1.2 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection, caused by improper validation of input by the HOST headers. By sending a specially crafted HTTP request, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to inject HTTP HOST header, which will allow the attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking. IBM X-Force ID: 205680.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-29854 affects IBM Maximo Asset Management versions 7.6.1.1 and 7.6.1.2, representing a critical HTTP header injection flaw that stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within the system's HOST header processing. This weakness allows malicious actors to manipulate HTTP headers through crafted requests, creating a significant security risk that undermines the integrity of the application's communication layer. The vulnerability specifically targets the improper sanitization of HOST header values, which are typically used by web servers to determine the domain name of the requested resource and to construct absolute URLs within responses.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to inject malicious HOST headers into HTTP requests, which can then propagate through the application's processing pipeline and affect various downstream components. When the application processes these manipulated headers, it may incorporate the injected values into generated responses, creating opportunities for attackers to execute cross-site scripting attacks by injecting malicious scripts into web pages served to users. Additionally, the vulnerability facilitates cache poisoning attacks where malicious content can be cached and served to other users, while also enabling session hijacking attempts that can compromise user authentication tokens and access credentials. This injection capability operates at the HTTP protocol level, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass traditional security controls that operate at higher application layers.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate exploitation capabilities to encompass broader security implications for organizations relying on IBM Maximo Asset Management. Attackers leveraging this flaw can manipulate the application's behavior to redirect users to malicious domains, inject harmful content into application responses, or establish persistent access to sensitive asset management data. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or network proximity to the system, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments where such applications are exposed to external networks. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to critical asset information, and disruption of business operations that rely on accurate asset management data.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of IBM Maximo Asset Management, as IBM has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures by filtering suspicious HTTP headers and blocking known malicious patterns. Input validation controls should be enhanced at the application level to properly sanitize all incoming HOST header values, ensuring that only valid domain names are accepted and that injection attempts are rejected. Security monitoring should be strengthened to detect unusual header patterns and potential exploitation attempts, while access controls should be reviewed to minimize the impact of successful attacks. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-113, which describes improper neutralization of input during web header processing, and represents a significant risk under ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploitation of web applications and T1566 for social engineering attacks that leverage the injected content.