CVE-2023-0041 in Security Guardium
Summary
by MITRE • 06/05/2023
IBM Security Guardium 11.5 could allow a user to take over another user's session due to insufficient session expiration. IBM X-Force ID: 243657.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-0041 affects IBM Security Guardium version 11.5, representing a critical session management flaw that enables unauthorized privilege escalation through session hijacking. This weakness stems from inadequate session expiration mechanisms within the application's authentication framework, creating a pathway for malicious actors to assume control of legitimate user sessions without proper authorization. The vulnerability specifically targets the session management component of the security platform, which is designed to protect sensitive database environments and security monitoring operations.
From a technical perspective, the flaw manifests as insufficient session validation and expiration controls that fail to properly terminate user sessions upon logout or after predefined time intervals. This weakness allows an attacker to leverage a valid session token or cookie to impersonate another user within the system, effectively bypassing authentication mechanisms and gaining access to elevated privileges. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including session fixation, session replay, or token manipulation techniques. According to CWE classification, this corresponds to CWE-613, which addresses inadequate session expiration, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.003 for abuse of session tokens.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it can compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the entire security monitoring infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability gains the ability to view, modify, or delete sensitive security data, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The affected IBM Security Guardium platform is designed to monitor and protect critical database environments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could enable attackers to bypass security controls, access audit logs, and manipulate security policies. The vulnerability affects all users of the affected version, regardless of their privilege level, and can be exploited remotely without requiring additional authentication credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-0041 should prioritize immediate implementation of proper session management controls including enforced session timeouts, secure session token generation, and automatic session invalidation upon logout. Organizations should implement robust session monitoring mechanisms to detect and prevent unauthorized session usage, while also ensuring that session tokens are properly encrypted and transmitted over secure channels. The recommended remediation includes applying the vendor-provided security patches, configuring strict session expiration policies, and implementing additional authentication controls such as multi-factor authentication. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish monitoring procedures for detecting suspicious session activity. According to industry best practices and NIST guidelines for secure software development, this vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing proper session management controls and adhering to secure coding practices throughout the application lifecycle.