CVE-2022-34307 in CICS TX
Summary
by MITRE • 08/01/2022
IBM CICS TX 11.1 does not set the secure attribute on authorization tokens or session cookies. Attackers may be able to get the cookie values by sending a http:// link to a user or by planting this link in a site the user goes to. The cookie will be sent to the insecure link and the attacker can then obtain the cookie value by snooping the traffic. IBM X-Force ID: 229436.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-34307 affects IBM CICS TX 11.1, a critical component in enterprise transaction processing systems that handles business-critical applications and data processing. This security flaw represents a significant weakness in the application's session management and authentication mechanisms, specifically within how it handles authorization tokens and session cookies. The vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly configure security attributes on session identifiers, creating an exploitable condition that directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions. The flaw exists in the web application layer where IBM CICS TX 11.1 manages user authentication and session persistence, making it a prime target for man-in-the-middle attacks and session hijacking attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-614, which specifically addresses the insecure handling of cookies that should be marked as secure, indicating a fundamental flaw in the application's security configuration and session management practices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when IBM CICS TX 11.1 generates session cookies for user authentication. The application fails to set the secure flag on these cookies, which is a critical security attribute that instructs web browsers to only transmit the cookie over HTTPS connections. Without this secure attribute, cookies can be transmitted over unencrypted HTTP connections, making them susceptible to interception during network transmission. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious HTTP links that, when clicked by victims, will transmit the session cookies to attacker-controlled servers. This attack vector leverages the fundamental principle that cookies containing sensitive session information should never be transmitted over unencrypted channels, as established by security standards and best practices in web application security. The vulnerability essentially removes the cryptographic protection that should safeguard session identifiers during transit, effectively weakening the entire authentication framework.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-34307 extends beyond simple session hijacking, as it compromises the core security posture of systems relying on IBM CICS TX 11.1 for transaction processing. When attackers successfully intercept session cookies, they gain unauthorized access to user sessions, potentially leading to full system compromise and data breaches. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using IBM CICS in environments where network traffic may be intercepted or where users navigate between secure and insecure web pages. The attack scenario involves sending malicious HTTP links to unsuspecting users, or embedding these links within compromised websites that victims visit, making the exploitation particularly insidious. The impact is amplified in enterprise environments where CICS TX systems handle sensitive financial transactions, personal data, and business-critical operations, as unauthorized access could lead to significant financial loss, regulatory violations, and reputational damage. The vulnerability also violates fundamental security principles outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks, which emphasize the importance of secure session management and proper cookie configuration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-34307 should prioritize immediate implementation of the vendor-provided security patches and updates for IBM CICS TX 11.1, as these will address the root cause of the insecure cookie handling. Organizations should also implement comprehensive network monitoring to detect and prevent unauthorized cookie transmission, including deploying intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious traffic patterns and cookie interception attempts. Network administrators should enforce strict HTTPS usage policies and ensure that all communication channels between clients and the CICS TX application are properly encrypted. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of their IBM CICS environments to identify any other insecure cookie configurations or similar session management flaws. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing to verify that session cookies are properly configured with the secure attribute and that all authentication tokens are transmitted only over encrypted connections. Organizations should also implement security awareness training for users to recognize phishing attempts and malicious links that could exploit this vulnerability. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers spearphishing with links, and T1071.004, which addresses application layer protocol: DNS, indicating the attack vectors and methodologies that threat actors would employ to exploit this specific weakness in IBM CICS TX 11.1 systems.