CVE-2022-35283 in Security Verify Information Queue
Summary
by MITRE • 07/14/2022
IBM Security Verify Information Queue 10.0.2 could allow an authenticated user to cause a denial of service with a specially crafted HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/31/2022
IBM Security Verify Information Queue version 10.0.2 contains a vulnerability that enables authenticated users to trigger a denial of service condition through carefully constructed HTTP requests. This vulnerability resides in the application's handling of incoming HTTP traffic and represents a critical weakness in the system's input validation and resource management mechanisms. The flaw allows a malicious actor with valid credentials to send specific HTTP requests that cause the application to consume excessive system resources or enter an unstable state, ultimately resulting in service unavailability for legitimate users. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication credentials to exploit, meaning that any user with valid access can potentially disrupt service operations. This weakness directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad and can be classified under CWE-400, which encompasses issues related to resource exhaustion or improper resource management. The attack vector operates through the HTTP protocol layer where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize incoming request parameters, allowing crafted payloads to cause unexpected behavior in the processing pipeline. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability can be leveraged by both internal and external authenticated users who have legitimate access to the system, making it a significant risk for organizations that rely on proper access controls but do not implement additional monitoring for anomalous behavior patterns. The operational impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the denial of service can affect business continuity and may require system restarts or manual intervention to restore normal operations. Organizations using this software should consider implementing network-level controls to monitor for suspicious HTTP traffic patterns and establish baseline behavior for normal system operations. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and resource management practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework's defensive strategies. This issue affects the application's resilience and can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which focuses on network denial of service attacks. The exploit requires minimal technical sophistication and can be executed through standard HTTP client tools, making it accessible to threat actors with basic knowledge of web application exploitation techniques. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of implementing robust error handling and resource management within web applications, particularly in enterprise security solutions where reliability and uptime are paramount. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability as soon as possible and consider implementing additional monitoring mechanisms to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of HTTP request parameters within the IBM Security Verify Information Queue application. When an authenticated user submits a specially crafted HTTP request, the application's processing logic fails to properly handle the malformed input, leading to resource exhaustion or system instability. This behavior aligns with CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation issues, and CWE-400, which covers resource management problems. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the application's legitimate HTTP processing path, making it difficult to distinguish between normal and malicious traffic without proper monitoring. The flaw likely manifests through mechanisms such as excessive memory allocation, unbounded loops, or improper handling of request parameters that cause the system to consume resources at an unsustainable rate. Attackers can exploit this by crafting HTTP requests that trigger specific code paths within the application, causing it to enter a state where it cannot properly process subsequent legitimate requests. The authentication requirement reduces the barrier to exploitation but does not eliminate the potential for significant impact, as the vulnerability can be used to disrupt services even when attackers have limited access rights. This scenario represents a privilege escalation risk within the context of denial of service attacks, where authenticated users can leverage their access to cause system-wide disruption. The vulnerability's impact on system availability can be measured in terms of both immediate service disruption and potential long-term degradation of system performance. Organizations should implement comprehensive logging and monitoring solutions to detect exploitation attempts and establish clear incident response procedures for handling denial of service events. The vulnerability also underscores the importance of defense-in-depth strategies, as relying solely on authentication mechanisms provides insufficient protection against authenticated user-based attacks. Security teams should consider implementing rate limiting, request size restrictions, and additional validation checks within the application's HTTP processing layer to prevent exploitation of this weakness. The remediation process should include not only applying the vendor-provided patch but also conducting thorough testing to ensure that the fix does not introduce regressions in legitimate functionality while effectively addressing the resource exhaustion issue.