CVE-2022-22401 in Aspera Faspex
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2023
IBM Aspera Faspex 5.0.5 could allow a remote attacker to gather or persuade a naive user to supply sensitive information. IBM X-Force ID: 222567.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2023
IBM Aspera Faspex version 5.0.5 contains a vulnerability that enables remote attackers to extract sensitive information through manipulation of the application's user interface elements. This flaw exists within the web-based administrative console and user authentication mechanisms, potentially allowing unauthorized access to confidential data through social engineering or direct information disclosure techniques. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and inadequate access controls within the application's interface components.
The technical implementation of this weakness involves improper handling of user-supplied data within the web application's form elements and session management protocols. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious input sequences that trigger information disclosure behaviors in the application's response handling. The flaw specifically affects the way the system processes user interactions with administrative panels and authentication forms, creating pathways for data exfiltration through seemingly benign user interface operations.
This vulnerability presents significant operational risks to organizations relying on IBM Aspera Faspex for secure file transfer operations. The potential impact includes unauthorized access to sensitive user credentials, administrative session tokens, and confidential file transfer metadata. Organizations may face compliance violations under data protection regulations such as gdpr and hipaa if attacker successfully exploits this weakness to access protected health information or personally identifiable information. The vulnerability could also enable privilege escalation attacks when combined with other exploitation techniques.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch application to the latest available version of IBM Aspera Faspex, which includes enhanced input validation and strengthened access controls. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the administrative console to trusted network segments only. Organizations should also deploy web application firewalls to monitor and filter malicious input patterns targeting the vulnerable interface components. Regular security assessments should verify that proper authentication mechanisms are in place and that user interface elements properly validate all input before processing. Additionally, security awareness training should be conducted to prevent social engineering attacks that might exploit user trust in the application's interface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering and credential harvesting. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect anomalous access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts against the vulnerable interface components.