CVE-2024-49336 in Security Guardium
Summary
by MITRE • 12/19/2024
IBM Security Guardium 11.5 and 12.0 is vulnerable to server-side request forgery (SSRF). This may allow an authenticated attacker to send unauthorized requests from the system, potentially leading to network enumeration or facilitating other attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2025
IBM Security Guardium versions 11.5 and 12.0 contain a critical server-side request forgery vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to forge requests from the vulnerable system. This flaw resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input that is subsequently used to construct HTTP requests to external systems. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of destination URLs and lacks proper sanitization of input parameters that are processed by the server-side components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that leverage the Guardium server as an intermediary to communicate with internal or external systems. The security implications are significant as the vulnerability allows for network enumeration activities where attackers can discover internal services, ports, and network topology details by observing the responses from forged requests. This type of vulnerability is categorized under CWE-918 which specifically addresses server-side request forgery conditions where applications fail to properly validate and sanitize user input before using it in HTTP requests. The attack vector requires authentication to the Guardium system, meaning that an attacker must first obtain valid credentials or exploit other authentication bypass mechanisms. Once authenticated, the attacker can leverage this vulnerability to perform reconnaissance activities that would normally be restricted by network firewalls or access control policies. The operational impact extends beyond simple information gathering as this vulnerability can facilitate more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation, lateral movement, or data exfiltration by enabling attackers to access internal resources that would otherwise be protected by network segmentation.
The vulnerability presents a substantial risk to organizations relying on IBM Security Guardium for database security monitoring and compliance management. The SSRF flaw can be exploited to target internal systems that are not directly exposed to external networks, making it particularly dangerous for environments with strict network segmentation policies. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under T1071.004 for application layer protocol tunneling and T1018 for remote system discovery. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that attackers must first establish a foothold within the Guardium environment, which could occur through credential compromise, privilege escalation, or other initial access vectors. Organizations using Guardium in production environments are particularly vulnerable as the system typically operates with elevated privileges and has access to sensitive network resources. The vulnerability's exploitation potential increases when Guardium is deployed in environments where it needs to communicate with external databases, applications, or services, as the attacker can leverage the system's legitimate network access to perform unauthorized operations. The flaw essentially transforms the Guardium server into a potential attack platform that can be used to probe internal networks, access sensitive internal systems, or bypass security controls that would normally protect these resources.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability including updating to the latest available patches from IBM Security, implementing network segmentation controls to limit the scope of potential exploitation, and monitoring for suspicious network activity that might indicate exploitation attempts. The recommended approach involves applying the vendor-supplied security patches that address the input validation and sanitization issues within the affected components. Additionally, organizations should review and restrict the network access permissions of the Guardium system to minimize the potential impact of exploitation. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual outbound requests or patterns that might indicate SSRF activity. Access controls should be reviewed to ensure that only authorized personnel have administrative access to the Guardium system, as this vulnerability requires authenticated access to exploit. The implementation of web application firewalls or API gateways that can filter and validate incoming requests may provide additional protection layers. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any other systems that might be similarly affected by related vulnerabilities in the IBM Security suite. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-918 and its alignment with ATT&CK techniques highlight the need for comprehensive security monitoring and incident response procedures that can detect and respond to such sophisticated attack patterns. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify potential exploitation vectors and ensure that defensive controls remain effective against evolving threat landscapes.