CVE-2022-40228 - IBM DataPower Gateway Session Hijacking Vulnerability Due to Password Change Mishandling

A new security vulnerability has been discovered in IBM DataPower Gateway software versions 10..3. to 10..4., 10..1. to 10..1.9, 2018.4.1. to 2018.4.1.22, and 10.5.. to 10.5..2. This vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-40228, exists because the software does not invalidate the user session after a password change. As a result, an authenticated user could potentially impersonate another user on the system, compromising the confidentiality and integrity of data. IBM X-Force has assigned this vulnerability an ID of 235527.

Code Snippet

To demonstrate how this vulnerability could be exploited, consider the following code snippet, which showcases the faulty session handling process after a password change:

def change_password(session, old_password, new_password):
    # Authenticate the user with their current password
    if authenticate(session, old_password):
        # Change the user's password in the database
        update_password(session, new_password)
        # The session is NOT invalidated after the password change
        return True
    return False

def impersonate(session, target_username, new_password):
    # Attempt to authenticate as the target user with the new password
    if authenticate(session, new_password):
        # If successful, the attacker has gained access to the target user's session
        print(f"Impersonating {target_username}")
        return True
    return False

As shown in the code snippet, the session remains valid even after the user's password has been changed. This allows an attacker to use the same session token to authenticate as the targeted user with the new password.

Original References

1. Official IBM Security Bulletin: IBM DataPower Gateway is affected by a security vulnerability
2. CVE-2022-40228 details on NIST's National Vulnerability Database (NVD): CVE-2022-40228
3. IBM X-Force ID: 235527
4. Mitre CVE Entry: CVE-2022-40228

Exploit Details

An attacker would need to have access to a valid user session in order to exploit this vulnerability. This could be achieved through various means such as session hijacking, social engineering, or by monitoring network traffic and intercepting session tokens. After gaining access to a valid session, the attacker could change the user's password and continue using the same session to impersonate the targeted user.

Mitigation

IBM has released patches for the affected DataPower Gateway versions, and users are advised to apply these patches immediately to protect their systems from potential attacks.

Affected users can download the patches for their respective DataPower Gateway versions from the following links:

- IBM DataPower Gateway v10.5.. to v10.5..2
- IBM DataPower Gateway v10..3. to v10..4.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-40228 is a serious security vulnerability in IBM DataPower Gateway software, which could allow an attacker to impersonate users on the system and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive data. Users are advised to apply the patches released by IBM as soon as possible to safeguard their systems from potential attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 11/22/2022 19:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/26/2022 03:30:00 UTC