CVE-2019-4061 Scanner

The IBM BigFix Platform is primarily used in enterprise environments by IT administrators to manage hardware and software within a network. It is utilized for patch management, software distribution, operating system deployment, and configuration management. Organizations heavily rely on BigFix for ensuring system compliance and security standards across multiple devices. The platform enables centralized management, facilitating seamless updates and monitoring of the IT infrastructure. Given its robust capabilities, IBM BigFix is critical for maintaining the operational efficiency of IT systems and networks. Due to its wide adoption, security vulnerabilities in BigFix can impact numerous organizations globally.

The information disclosure vulnerability in IBM BigFix Platform allows attackers to access sensitive data without proper authentication. This vulnerability stems from the lack of enforced authenticated access in the relay component of the platform. Attackers can gather fixlet and update information remotely, heightening the risk of targeted attacks. Since authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability, it poses a significant risk for malicious data harvesting. Unauthenticated attackers have the potential to misuse gathered information for conducting further attacks on vulnerable systems. Therefore, addressing this vulnerability is crucial to safeguarding sensitive organizational data.

Technical details reveal that the IBM BigFix Platform is vulnerable due to its relay component not enforcing authenticated access. The vulnerable endpoint is accessed via the relay, where attackers can execute GET requests to endpoints like '/masthead/masthead.axfm' and '/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/clientregister.exe?RequestType=FetchCommands'. Successful exploitation involves querying these endpoints to extract sensitive organization details and command data. Attackers check for specific response conditions including HTTP status 200 and presence of specific headers in the response body, such as "Organization:" and "-URL:". Each HTTP request conducted by attackers provides a pathway to gaining unauthorized access to sensitive system information.

Exploiting this vulnerability can have various adverse effects, including the exposure of sensitive update and fixlet deployment data. Unauthorized data access can lead to attackers crafting targeted attacks, possibly resulting in further breaches within the network. Organizations may face risks such as system compromise, loss of sensitive data integrity, and potential financial and reputational damage. Attackers exploiting the vulnerability can exploit the gathered information to orchestrate incremental attacks on the organization's IT infrastructure. Therefore, timely remediation is crucial to prevent potential exploitation and mitigate organizational risk.

REFERENCES

• https://www.atredis.com/blog/2019/3/18/harvesting-data-from-bigfix-relay-servers
• https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/0fd8f0984e10a135c000d1fb8797d76d62fb24f7/modules/auxiliary/gather/ibm_bigfix_sites_packages_enum.rb
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-4061