CVE-2024-41776 in Cognos Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 12/03/2024
IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.0 and 11.0.1
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.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 contain a critical cross-site request forgery vulnerability that enables attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. This vulnerability falls under CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws in web applications. The flaw exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's authentication mechanisms. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate users, potentially leading to unauthorized data manipulation, privilege escalation, or session hijacking within the controller environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it compromises the integrity of the entire controller framework. When exploited, CSRF attacks can result in unauthorized financial data modifications, user account manipulations, and potential lateral movement within the enterprise network where Cognos Controller is deployed. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on this financial reporting and planning tool, particularly those in regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and government sectors where data integrity is paramount. This weakness creates a significant risk for business continuity and regulatory compliance, as unauthorized changes to financial data could lead to severe financial losses and legal consequences.
Organizations should immediately implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability. The primary recommendation involves deploying anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing requests within the application, ensuring that each request includes a unique, unpredictable token that validates the user's intent. Additionally, implementing proper origin validation checks and utilizing SameSite cookie attributes can significantly reduce exploitation risks. Network segmentation and web application firewalls should be configured to monitor for suspicious request patterns and unauthorized modifications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1531, which deals with 'Modify Application Code' and T1190, 'Exploit Public-Facing Application', making it a critical target for both defensive and offensive security teams. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in other enterprise applications, as CSRF vulnerabilities often indicate broader security architecture gaps that require comprehensive remediation strategies.