CVE-2021-33709 in Teamcenter Active Workspace
Summary
by MITRE • 07/13/2021
A vulnerability has been identified in Teamcenter Active Workspace V4 (All versions < V4.3.9), Teamcenter Active Workspace V5.0 (All versions < V5.0.7), Teamcenter Active Workspace V5.1 (All versions < V5.1.4). By sending malformed requests, a remote attacker could leak an application token due to an error not properly handled by the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/16/2021
This vulnerability affects Siemens Teamcenter Active Workspace software across multiple version ranges, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that could enable remote attackers to obtain sensitive application tokens. The vulnerability stems from inadequate error handling mechanisms within the web application's request processing pipeline, specifically when encountering malformed input requests. When the system receives malformed requests that it cannot properly parse or validate, it fails to implement appropriate error recovery procedures, resulting in the unintended exposure of application tokens through error responses or log files. This weakness creates a significant security risk as application tokens typically contain sensitive authentication credentials that could be leveraged to gain unauthorized access to the system. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and CWE-200, which covers exposure of sensitive information. From an operational perspective, this flaw represents a serious concern for organizations utilizing Siemens Teamcenter solutions, as it could allow attackers to escalate privileges and potentially compromise entire enterprise product lifecycle management systems. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it requires only remote access to send malformed requests, making it easily exploitable from outside the network perimeter. Organizations running affected versions of Teamcenter Active Workspace are at risk of credential theft and unauthorized system access, as the leaked tokens could be used to impersonate legitimate users and gain access to restricted functionality. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which involves the initial access phase through social engineering or malicious web content, and T1528, which covers the stealing of credentials through various means including information disclosure. The affected versions include all releases prior to V4.3.9 for V4, V5.0.7 for V5.0, and V5.1.4 for V5.1, indicating that a substantial portion of the installed base remains vulnerable. The root cause lies in the application's failure to properly sanitize and validate incoming requests, allowing malformed data to propagate through the system and trigger error conditions that inadvertently expose sensitive tokens. This type of vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive enterprise data. The remediation approach involves updating to the patched versions of Teamcenter Active Workspace, which implement proper error handling mechanisms and input validation to prevent the leakage of application tokens. Security teams should also implement network monitoring to detect and block malformed requests that could trigger this vulnerability, while conducting thorough assessments of their Teamcenter environments to identify any potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should consider implementing additional security controls such as token rotation, access logging, and network segmentation to reduce the impact of any potential exploitation, as the vulnerability could enable attackers to maintain persistent access to critical enterprise systems. The security implications extend beyond simple credential theft, as these tokens could provide access to sensitive product data, design files, and system configuration information that could be used for competitive intelligence gathering or system disruption.