CVE-2026-108284 in WebSphere Application Server
Summary
by MITRE • 11/08/2026
IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.10 could allow an authenticated user with the Reader role to obtain sensitive information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2026
The vulnerability identified in IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty versions ranging from 17.0.0.3 to 26.0.0.10 represents a significant security flaw related to improper access control mechanisms within the application server environment. This issue specifically affects users who have been assigned the Reader role, which is typically intended for read-only access to administrative resources and configuration data. The core technical flaw lies in the insufficient validation of permissions when handling certain requests that expose internal system information or sensitive configuration details. While the attacker must first authenticate with valid credentials possessing at least the Reader privilege level, the application fails to properly restrict the scope of accessible endpoints or API responses. This oversight allows an authenticated user to retrieve data that should be restricted to higher-privileged roles such as Administrator or Deployer, thereby violating the principle of least privilege and enabling unauthorized information disclosure.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-269, which denotes Improper Privilege Management, specifically focusing on the failure to enforce role-based access control restrictions correctly during runtime operations. The attacker leverages standard HTTP requests or administrative API calls that are ostensibly safe for read-only users but inadvertently return sensitive payloads containing internal server states, security configurations, or potentially credentials and keys stored in configuration files. This behavior indicates a gap in the middleware's request filtering logic where specific resource paths are not adequately sanitized against role-based restrictions. Consequently, an individual with low-level access can escalate their effective privileges by extracting critical intelligence about the underlying infrastructure without needing to exploit authentication bypasses or injection flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily centered around information disclosure and subsequent reconnaissance activities that facilitate further attacks. By obtaining sensitive system information, an attacker gains valuable insights into the network topology, software versions running on backend services, security policies in place, and potentially cryptographic keys used for securing communications. This intelligence can be instrumental in planning more sophisticated attacks such as targeted privilege escalation, session hijacking, or crafting exploits tailored to specific version vulnerabilities present in the environment. Although the initial access requires authentication, which provides some level of mitigation against unauthenticated remote exploitation, the ease with which sensitive data can be extracted once inside the perimeter significantly lowers the barrier for malicious actors who have compromised a low-privilege account through phishing, credential stuffing, or other means.
In alignment with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques associated with Discovery and Credential Access, particularly T1087 Account Discovery where attackers enumerate accounts on local systems, and potentially T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie if session tokens are exposed within the sensitive information retrieved. It also relates to T1602 Data from Configuration Repository as it involves extracting configuration data that reveals system architecture and security settings. The exploitation chain typically begins with initial access via compromised credentials followed by privilege escalation through information gathering rather than direct code execution, highlighting the importance of strict role separation in enterprise application servers.
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations running affected versions of IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty must apply the latest available updates or patches provided by IBM that address these specific permission checks. It is critical to verify that all instances are updated beyond version 26.0.0.10 or patched according to IBM's security guidelines for earlier supported releases. In addition to patching, administrators should review and tighten role assignments within the server configuration, ensuring that only necessary personnel have access even to read-only administrative interfaces where possible. Implementing network segmentation to restrict access to management ports from untrusted networks adds another layer of defense. Furthermore, continuous monitoring of authentication logs for unusual patterns of data retrieval by low-privilege accounts can help detect potential exploitation attempts in real-time before significant damage occurs.