CVE-2023-47718 in Maximo Asset Management
Summary
by MITRE • 01/19/2024
IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.6.1.3 and Manage Component 8.10 through 8.11 is vulnerable to cross-site request forgery which could allow an attacker to execute malicious and unauthorized actions transmitted from a user that the website trusts. IBM X-Force ID: 271843.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2024
IBM Maximo Asset Management version 7.6.1.3 and Manage Component versions 8.10 through 8.11 contain a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability resides in the web application's failure to properly validate and authenticate cross-origin requests, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit trust relationships within the system. The flaw specifically affects the application's session management and request validation mechanisms, allowing attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the target system. According to CWE-352, this represents a classic cross-site request forgery vulnerability where the application does not adequately verify the origin of requests, making it susceptible to attacks that leverage the victim's authenticated session. The vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1566.001 which involves exploiting web applications through forged requests, potentially enabling attackers to manipulate asset management data, modify user permissions, or execute administrative functions without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient anti-CSRF token validation within the application's web interface. When users authenticate to the Maximo environment, their session becomes trusted by the system, but the application fails to enforce proper request origin verification for state-changing operations. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or send crafted links that, when clicked by an authenticated user, automatically submit requests to the Maximo application. These requests leverage the user's existing session cookies and authentication context to perform actions such as creating new assets, modifying existing records, changing user access rights, or executing administrative commands. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because Maximo Asset Management handles critical business data including asset tracking, maintenance scheduling, and inventory management, making unauthorized modifications potentially disruptive to operational workflows. The impact extends beyond simple data manipulation to include potential system compromise through privilege escalation attacks that could allow attackers to gain administrative access to the entire asset management platform.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations relying on IBM Maximo for critical asset management functions. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized asset modifications, data corruption, loss of operational integrity, and potential business disruption. Attackers could manipulate maintenance schedules, alter asset ownership records, or create fraudulent entries that compromise the accuracy of the entire asset management system. Organizations may face compliance violations if audit trails become compromised or if unauthorized changes to asset records affect regulatory reporting requirements. The vulnerability also poses risks to operational security since attackers could potentially disrupt maintenance workflows, create false asset records, or manipulate inventory data that directly impacts business operations. According to industry best practices for web application security, this vulnerability requires immediate remediation through proper CSRF token implementation, origin validation, and comprehensive request verification mechanisms. Organizations should implement additional monitoring for suspicious API calls and user activities that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate implementation of proper CSRF token validation across all state-changing operations within the Maximo application. The fix requires ensuring that every request modifying application state includes a unique, unpredictable token that is verified server-side before processing. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as implementing Content Security Policy headers, enforcing strict origin validation, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious requests. Regular security testing including automated scanning and manual penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in the application's web interface. IBM has released patches and updates addressing this specific vulnerability, and organizations should immediately apply the recommended security fixes to prevent exploitation. The remediation process should also include comprehensive user education about the risks of clicking suspicious links and the importance of maintaining secure browsing practices. Additionally, implementing proper logging and monitoring for all administrative actions will help detect potential exploitation attempts and provide forensic evidence for incident response activities. Organizations should also consider implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts and reducing the attack surface by disabling unnecessary web services and API endpoints that could be exploited through similar means.