Security Bulletin
Summary
There is an insecure certificate validation (CVE-2014-3596) in Apache Axis which is bundled with IBM WebSphere Dashboard Framework.
Vulnerability Details
IBM WebSphere Dashboard Framework (WDF) bundles a copy of Apache Axis which can be used to make web service requests. A vulnerability in Axis allows man-in-the-middle attacks on requests using a specially crafted X.509 certificate. WDF-based applications are only vulnerable if they are using Axis for web service requests and the web service end-points use the https protocol. WDF-based applications are not vulnerable to this exploit if they use WebSphere's JAX-WS implementation.
CVEID: CVE-2014-3596
DESCRIPTION: Apache Axis and Axis2 could allow a remote attacker to conduct spoofing attacks, caused by and incomplete fix related to the failure to verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) field of the X.509 certificate. By persuading a victim to visit a Web site containing a specially-crafted certificate, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability using man-in-the-middle techniques to spoof an SSL server.
CVSS Base Score: 4.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/95377 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N)
Affected Products and Versions
All versions of WebSphere Dashboard Framework
Remediation/Fixes
Obtain the LO83460_WEF7014.zip APAR from Fix Central.
Workarounds and Mitigations
WDF-based applications can reconfigure their web service builders to use WebSphere's JAX-WS implementation. JAX-WS is the recommended infrastructure for making web service requests.
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References
Change History
28 January 2015: Original Copy Published
*The CVSS Environment Score is customer environment specific and will ultimately impact the Overall CVSS Score. Customers can evaluate the impact of this vulnerability in their environments by accessing the links in the References section of this Flash.
Note: According to the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is an "industry open standard designed to convey vulnerability severity and help to determine urgency and priority of response." IBM PROVIDES THE CVSS SCORES "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ANY ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL SECURITY VULNERABILITY.
*The CVSS Environment Score is customer environment specific and will ultimately impact the Overall CVSS Score. Customers can evaluate the impact of this vulnerability in their environments by accessing the links in the Reference section of this Security Bulletin.
Disclaimer
Review the IBM security bulletin disclaimer and definitions regarding your responsibilities for assessing potential impact of security vulnerabilities to your environment.
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Document Information
Modified date:
16 June 2018
UID
swg21695324