CVE-2026-9836
Summary
by MITRE • 06/30/2026
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 is affected by an information disclosure vulnerability.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2026
IBM InfoSphere Information Server version 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.1.6 contains an information disclosure vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to access sensitive system information. This vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and insufficient input validation within the server's authentication and authorization mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers to retrieve confidential data through manipulated requests or by exploiting weak session management protocols that fail to properly validate user credentials or roles.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the server's failure to adequately sanitize user inputs when processing requests for system information or metadata. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass normal access restrictions and obtain unauthorized access to database schemas, user permissions, system configurations, and other sensitive operational data. The vulnerability exists primarily in the web interface components that handle administrative functions and system monitoring capabilities where proper authorization checks are either missing or inadequately implemented.
From an operational perspective, successful exploitation of this information disclosure vulnerability can lead to significant security implications including unauthorized access to enterprise data assets, potential privilege escalation opportunities, and exposure of sensitive system configurations. The impact extends beyond immediate data theft as attackers can use the disclosed information to plan more sophisticated attacks targeting other system components or to identify additional vulnerabilities within the broader infrastructure. This weakness particularly affects organizations relying on InfoSphere Information Server for data integration and governance operations where the disclosure of metadata could compromise entire data pipelines and analytical processes.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which describes information exposure through improper restriction of information flow, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1087.004 for account discovery and T1566.001 for malicious file execution through information gathering. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches provided by IBM, strengthening access controls through proper authentication mechanisms, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and conducting comprehensive vulnerability assessments of their InfoSphere Information Server deployments. Additional protective measures include regular monitoring of system logs for suspicious activities, implementing intrusion detection systems, and establishing robust incident response procedures specifically tailored to address information disclosure vulnerabilities in enterprise data platforms.
The root cause analysis reveals that this vulnerability represents a failure in the principle of least privilege implementation within the server's security architecture. Proper configuration management and regular security testing would have identified the lack of proper input validation and access control enforcement before exploitation occurred. Organizations should establish continuous monitoring protocols to detect anomalous access patterns and ensure that all system components undergo regular security assessments to prevent similar vulnerabilities from persisting in production environments.