CVE-2024-49794 in ApplinX
Summary
by MITRE • 02/06/2025
IBM ApplinX 11.1 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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2025
IBM ApplinX 11.1 contains a cross-site request forgery vulnerability that represents a critical security weakness in the application's authentication and authorization mechanisms. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery flaws in web applications. The vulnerability exists due to insufficient validation of request origins and lack of proper anti-CSRF token implementation within the application's web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate authenticated users, thereby bypassing the application's security controls and gaining unauthorized access to sensitive functions and data.
The technical flaw manifests when the application fails to properly verify the source of incoming HTTP requests, particularly those containing sensitive operations such as user account modifications, data deletions, or configuration changes. Without robust CSRF protection mechanisms, the application cannot distinguish between genuine user requests and maliciously crafted requests that leverage the trust relationship between the user and the web application. This weakness allows attackers to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users, potentially leading to complete account compromise, data manipulation, or privilege escalation within the ApplinX environment. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the existing trust relationship that authenticated users have with the application, making detection and prevention more challenging.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, potentially enabling attackers to execute a wide range of malicious activities within the ApplinX system. An attacker could modify user permissions, delete critical data, create new administrative accounts, or manipulate application configurations to gain persistent access to the system. The consequences could include data breaches, service disruption, and potential compliance violations if sensitive information is compromised. Organizations using IBM ApplinX 11.1 may face significant operational risks, including loss of business continuity, reputational damage, and potential regulatory penalties if this vulnerability is exploited. The impact is further compounded by the fact that the vulnerability affects the core application functionality, potentially compromising the entire system's integrity and availability.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive CSRF protection mechanisms that align with industry best practices and security standards. Organizations should immediately deploy anti-CSRF tokens for all state-changing operations within the application, ensuring that each request contains a unique, unpredictable token that is validated server-side. The implementation should follow the OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet guidelines and incorporate proper token generation, storage, and validation procedures. Additionally, organizations should implement strict origin validation checks, utilize the SameSite cookie attributes, and ensure that all sensitive operations require explicit user confirmation. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that the implemented protections are effective. IBM should provide a security patch or update to address this vulnerability, and organizations should monitor for official security advisories and apply updates promptly to maintain system integrity and protect against potential exploitation attempts.