CVE-2026-56587 in IntelliOps Event Management
Summary
by MITRE • 07/21/2026
HCL IEM was affected with Strict transport security not enforced. It may enable attackers to perform SSL stripping or man-in-the-middle attacks and compromise secure communications.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/21/2026
The vulnerability in HCL IEM related to strict transport security enforcement represents a critical weakness in the system's web security infrastructure that directly impacts the integrity of secure communications. This issue stems from the absence or improper implementation of the Strict Transport Security (STS) header mechanism, which is fundamental to preventing downgrade attacks and protecting against man-in-the-middle threats in web applications.
The technical flaw manifests when the HCL IEM application fails to implement or enforce the STS policy through proper HTTP headers. Without this security mechanism, attackers can exploit the lack of enforcement to perform SSL stripping attacks by forcing clients to use unencrypted HTTP connections instead of secure HTTPS. This vulnerability creates an attack surface that allows adversaries to intercept and potentially modify communications between users and the application server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data interception, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors that can compromise the entire security posture of the system. Attackers leveraging SSL stripping techniques can access sensitive user credentials, session tokens, and confidential business data transmitted through the vulnerable interface. The absence of STS enforcement also undermines the trust model that secure web communications rely upon, making it easier for malicious actors to establish unauthorized connections.
According to CWE-319, this vulnerability falls under the category of "CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing attacks that exploit weak transport layer security. The implementation of proper STS headers should include setting the max-age parameter to ensure browsers cache the security policy for a sufficient duration, typically at least one year, along with the preload directive for enhanced protection against protocol downgrade attacks.
Effective mitigation strategies involve configuring the web server to consistently send the Strict-Transport-Security header with appropriate values including a minimum max-age of 31536000 seconds and the includeSubDomains flag. Organizations should also implement automated security scanning tools to verify proper header implementation across all application endpoints. The remediation process requires thorough testing to ensure that existing functionality remains intact while implementing the necessary security controls. Additionally, network monitoring should be enhanced to detect potential SSL stripping attempts and other related attacks that exploit this vulnerability.