CVE-2024-30106 in Connections
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2024
HCL Connections is vulnerable to an information disclosure vulnerability, due to an IBM WebSphere Application Server error, which could allow a user to obtain sensitive information they are not entitled to due to the improper handling of request data.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/09/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-30106 represents a critical information disclosure weakness within HCL Connections platforms that leverages underlying issues in IBM WebSphere Application Server components. This flaw stems from inadequate request data handling mechanisms that fail to properly validate or sanitize incoming user inputs before processing them within the application framework. The vulnerability creates an avenue for unauthorized data access where malicious actors can exploit improperly managed request parameters to extract sensitive information that should remain restricted to authorized users only.
This security gap operates at the intersection of several cybersecurity principles and standards, particularly aligning with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure vulnerabilities, and CWE-79, which covers cross-site scripting flaws that can enable similar data leakage scenarios. The vulnerability's exploitation potential extends beyond simple information gathering as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks when combined with other reconnaissance techniques, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where HCL Connections serves as a central collaboration platform for sensitive business data and communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability manifests in multiple dimensions affecting both data confidentiality and system integrity. Organizations utilizing HCL Connections may experience unauthorized access to confidential documents, user credentials, internal communications, and business-sensitive information that should remain protected within the system's access controls. The improper handling of request data creates a persistent risk where even low-privilege users could potentially escalate their access or discover information about other users' data access patterns, thereby undermining the fundamental security model of the platform.
From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with several MITRE ATT&CK framework techniques including T1071.004 for application layer protocol manipulation and T1566 for credential harvesting through application vulnerabilities. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that IBM WebSphere Application Server components often serve as foundational elements in enterprise deployments, meaning that exploitation of this flaw could potentially affect multiple applications running within the same server environment. Security professionals must consider that this vulnerability may be exploited in conjunction with other weaknesses to create more comprehensive attack vectors targeting the broader enterprise infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including thorough input validation mechanisms, enhanced request parameter filtering, and comprehensive access control reviews to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves updating to patched versions of both HCL Connections and IBM WebSphere Application Server components, implementing additional request monitoring and logging, and conducting thorough security assessments of all applications relying on these components. Network segmentation and intrusion detection systems should be deployed to monitor for potential exploitation attempts, while regular security audits should verify that proper access controls remain intact across all platform components.