CVE-2024-25035 in Cognos Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 12/03/2024
IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.0 and 11.0.1
exposes server details that could allow an attacker to obtain information of the application environment to conduct further attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/11/2024
IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 contain a vulnerability that reveals server information through improper error handling mechanisms. This flaw allows attackers to extract detailed system metadata including server names, application paths, and potentially sensitive environmental configurations. The vulnerability manifests when the application encounters an error condition and inadvertently returns server-specific diagnostic information in error responses or logs. This exposure creates a significant information disclosure risk that aligns with CWE-209, which addresses improper error handling that reveals system information. The vulnerability follows patterns consistent with ATT&CK technique T1212, where adversaries collect system information to understand the target environment before launching more sophisticated attacks. Attackers can leverage this information to identify specific server configurations, operating system versions, and application stack details that would otherwise remain hidden. The exposed server details may include internal IP addresses, server names, directory structures, and potentially database connection parameters that could facilitate subsequent exploitation attempts. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations using IBM Cognos Controller for financial reporting and business intelligence functions, where the exposed information could enable attackers to target specific system components or identify weak points in the overall infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate error message sanitization within the application's error handling framework. When the system encounters processing errors or invalid requests, it fails to properly filter or sanitize diagnostic output before returning responses to clients. This misconfiguration allows sensitive server metadata to leak through HTTP responses or error logs, creating an information disclosure channel that attackers can exploit systematically. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that IBM Cognos Controller typically operates within enterprise environments where such detailed system information would normally be restricted from external access. Organizations may be unaware of this exposure until an attacker actively probes the system, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it operates silently in the background. The information disclosure could potentially enable attackers to identify specific application versions, patch levels, and system configurations that align with known exploit databases or attack patterns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to create a foundation for more advanced attack vectors. Once attackers obtain server details, they can tailor subsequent attacks to exploit specific system weaknesses or vulnerabilities that match the discovered configurations. The leaked information could facilitate targeted attacks against known vulnerabilities in the IBM Cognos Controller version, or enable attackers to map network topology and identify potential lateral movement paths within the enterprise environment. Organizations may face compliance issues if sensitive server information is exposed, particularly in regulated environments where information disclosure could violate data protection standards. The vulnerability also creates opportunities for attackers to conduct reconnaissance attacks against other systems within the same network infrastructure that may share similar configurations or dependencies. This exposure could lead to cascading security incidents where initial information disclosure leads to more severe compromises of the overall system environment.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling or restricting error message output to prevent server information disclosure, applying the latest security patches from IBM, and implementing network segmentation controls to limit access to the affected application. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual error response patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while access controls should be strengthened to limit who can interact with the application's error handling mechanisms. Regular vulnerability assessments should include checks for similar error handling issues across other enterprise applications, and incident response procedures should be updated to address potential information disclosure scenarios. Network administrators should review firewall rules and implement additional filtering to prevent unauthorized access to potentially vulnerable endpoints. The remediation process should also include comprehensive logging of error conditions to help identify if exploitation attempts have occurred, while security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise that align with the specific attack patterns associated with this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls to help filter and sanitize error responses before they reach end users or external systems.