Security Bulletin
Summary
SSLv3 contains a vulnerability that has been referred to as the Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption (POODLE) attack. SSLv3 is enabled in WebSphere eXtreme Scale and WebSphere eXtreme Scale for z/OS versions 7.0, 7.1.0, 7.1.1, 8.5, and 8.6.
Vulnerability Details
CVE-ID: CVE-2014-3566
DESCRIPTION: Product could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by a design error when using the SSLv3 protocol. A remote user with the ability to conduct a man-in-the-middle attack could exploit this vulnerability via a POODLE (Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption) attack to decrypt SSL sessions and access the plaintext of encrypted connections.
CVSS Base Score: 4.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/97013 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N)
Affected Products and Versions
WebSphere eXtreme Scale 7.0 through 8.6.0.5.
WebSphere eXtreme Scale for z/OS 7.0 through 8.6.0.5.
Remediation/Fixes
WebSphere eXtreme Scale 7.0 through 8.6.0.5, WebSphere eXtreme Scale for z/OS 7.0 through 8.6.05: No fix is available or planned, as the problem can be addressed entirely by configuration.
IBM recommends that you review your entire environment to identify areas that enable the SSLv3 protocol and take appropriate mitigation and remediation actions. The most immediate mitigation action that can be taken is disabling SSLv3.
Workarounds and Mitigations
WebSphere eXtreme Scale clients and servers may run standalone, under the WebSphere Application Server Liberty Profile or under WebSphere Application Server. When clients or servers are running under WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere eXtreme Scale communications may be protected by setting WebSphere Quality of Protection to TLS as described in this link:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21687173
If running WebSphere eXtreme Scale 8.6 clients or servers under WebSphere Application Server and using the XIO protocol, a server.properties or client.properties file will exist if SSL/TLS encrypted communications is specified. That file will contain a “protocol” property, which must be set to TLS to protect against the attack.
If running WebSphere eXtreme Scale clients or servers under the WebSphere Application Server Liberty Profile or standalone, a server.properties or client.properties file will exist if SSL/TLS encrypted communications is specified. That file will contain a “protocol” property, which must be set to TLS to protect against the attack.
If these configuration measures are taken, changes to the clients or servers will require those components to be restarted so that the changes take effect.
The same measures are used to protect WebSphere eXtreme Scale for z/OS. The WebSphere eXtreme Scale Client may run under WebSphere Application Server on z/OS. The WebSphere eXtreme Scale Client or server may run under the Liberty Profile on z/OS.
Important note: IBM strongly suggests that all System z customers subscribe to the System z Security Portal to receive the latest critical System z security and integrity service. If you are not subscribed, see the instructions on the System z Security web site. Security and integrity APARs and associated fixes will be posted to this portal. IBM suggests reviewing the CVSS scores and applying all security or integrity fixes as soon as possible to minimize any potential risk.
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References
Change History
20 October 2014: Original Version 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 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:
15 June 2018
UID
swg21687586