CVE-2025-52608 in iControl
Summary
by MITRE • 06/04/2026
HCL iControl was affected by Missing Cookie Attributes vulnerability. It was observed that the application is missing several critical cookie attributes, including Secure and SameSite. And also path is set to root.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2026
The vulnerability in HCL iControl stems from insufficient cookie security configuration that exposes the application to various session management risks. This missing cookie attributes issue represents a critical weakness in the web application's authentication and session handling mechanisms, where the application fails to properly configure essential security attributes for cookies used in user sessions. The absence of proper cookie attributes creates an environment where session tokens can be intercepted, manipulated, or exploited by malicious actors, fundamentally compromising user authentication and authorization processes.
The technical flaw manifests through the omission of several critical cookie security parameters that should be implemented to protect against session hijacking and cross-site request forgery attacks. Specifically, the missing Secure attribute means that cookies can be transmitted over unencrypted HTTP connections, making them vulnerable to interception during network transmission. Without the SameSite attribute, the application becomes susceptible to cross-site request forgery attacks where malicious websites can trick users into performing unauthorized actions. Additionally, the cookie path being set to root creates unnecessary exposure by making the cookie available to all paths on the domain rather than restricting it to specific application sections, thereby expanding the attack surface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple session management concerns to encompass broader security implications for the entire application ecosystem. Attackers can exploit these missing cookie attributes to perform session hijacking by capturing session tokens over unencrypted connections, or execute cross-site request forgery attacks that can manipulate user sessions without their knowledge. The root path configuration amplifies these risks by allowing cookies to be sent to any application endpoint, potentially enabling attackers to exploit session tokens across multiple application functions. This vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the application's user authentication system, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive data and system resources.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-614, which addresses the weakness of insecure cookies, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices recommended in OWASP Top Ten and NIST guidelines for web application security. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1531 for Establishing Persistence through Web Shell and T1185 for Man in the Middle attacks, as attackers can leverage these insecure cookies to maintain persistent access to user sessions. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including setting the Secure attribute to ensure cookies are only transmitted over HTTPS connections, implementing the SameSite attribute with appropriate values such as Strict or Lax to prevent cross-site request forgery, and restricting cookie paths to specific application directories rather than using root paths. Additional security measures should include regular security scanning of web applications, implementation of proper session management controls, and comprehensive security awareness training for development teams to prevent similar issues in future releases.