CVE-2022-34306 in CICS TX Standard
Summary
by MITRE • 07/08/2022
IBM CICS TX Standard and Advanced 11.1 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection, caused by improper validation of input by the HOST headers. This could allow an attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking. IBM X-Force ID: 229435.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2022
IBM CICS TX Standard and Advanced version 11.1 contains a critical HTTP header injection vulnerability that stems from inadequate validation of HOST header inputs. This flaw resides in the application's handling of HTTP request headers, specifically where the system fails to properly sanitize or validate the HOST header content before processing. The vulnerability creates an attack vector that allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary HTTP headers into the application's response, potentially compromising the integrity of the communication channel. The improper input validation mechanism enables attackers to manipulate the HOST header in ways that bypass normal security controls and authentication mechanisms.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to multiple severe security consequences that align with common attack patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework. An attacker could leverage this weakness to perform cross-site scripting attacks by injecting malicious scripts through the manipulated HOST header, potentially compromising user sessions and stealing sensitive information. Additionally, the vulnerability enables cache poisoning attacks where malicious content gets cached and served to other users, while session hijacking becomes possible through the injection of session-related headers that can be used to impersonate legitimate users. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-113, which specifically addresses improper neutralization of input during web header processing, making it a direct descendant of the well-known header injection flaws that have plagued web applications for years.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond immediate exploitation as it creates persistent security risks within IBM CICS environments. Organizations using this software face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to sensitive transactional data, and compromised user authentication systems. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security posture of applications relying on CICS TX for transaction processing, potentially exposing financial data, personal information, and business-critical transactions. Attackers can use this weakness to establish persistent access points within the system, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where transactional integrity and user privacy are paramount.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate implementation of input validation controls that sanitize all HOST header values before processing, along with comprehensive header validation mechanisms that reject malformed or suspicious header content. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls that can detect and block header injection attempts, while also implementing proper HTTP header sanitization routines within the application layer. The IBM recommended approach involves applying the latest security patches and updates that address the specific input validation flaws in the HOST header handling mechanism. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be enhanced to detect anomalous header patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that all HTTP header processing components properly validate and sanitize input data according to industry best practices and security standards.