CVE-2016-9716 – This CVE describes a cross-site request forgery... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2016-9716?

CVE-2016-9716 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server. Attackers can trick authenticated users into performing unauthorized actions on the MDM server. Affected versions include 11.0 through 11.6.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server. Attackers can trick authenticated users into performing unauthorized actions on the MDM server. Affected versions include 11.0 through 11.6.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management Server

Versions: 11.0, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6

Operating Systems: All supported platforms

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All deployments with web interface enabled are vulnerable

📦 What is this software?

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of the MDM system including data manipulation, privilege escalation, or administrative takeover

🟠

Likely Case

Unauthorized data modification, user account compromise, or configuration changes

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper CSRF protections and user awareness

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Web applications exposed to internet are primary attack vectors

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could still be targeted via phishing or compromised internal sites

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW

CSRF attacks are well-understood and easy to implement; requires user interaction

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Apply fixes per IBM security bulletin

Vendor Advisory: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22006610

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Review IBM security bulletin 2. Download appropriate fix pack 3. Apply fix following IBM installation procedures 4. Restart MDM services

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Implement CSRF Tokens

all

Add anti-CSRF tokens to all forms and state-changing requests

SameSite Cookie Attribute

all

Set SameSite=Strict or Lax on session cookies

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement web application firewall with CSRF protection rules
Educate users about phishing risks and implement multi-factor authentication

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check version against affected list and test for CSRF vulnerabilities using tools like OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite

Check Version:

Check MDM server version through admin console or configuration files

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify fix pack installation and test CSRF protections are working

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected state changes without corresponding user actions
Multiple requests from same user with different referrers

Network Indicators:

Requests with missing or invalid CSRF tokens
Requests with suspicious referrer headers

SIEM Query:

web_requests WHERE (referrer NOT LIKE '%trusted-domain%' AND method IN ('POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE'))

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2016-9716

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-352

Published: July 31, 2017

Last Updated: April 20, 2025

🔗 References

http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22006610 Patch,Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100026 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/119729 VDB Entry,Vendor Advisory
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22006610 Patch,Vendor Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/100026 Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/119729 VDB Entry,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Infosphere Master Data Management Server by Ibm

Infosphere Master Data Management Server by Ibm

Infosphere Master Data Management Server by Ibm

Infosphere Master Data Management Server by Ibm

Infosphere Master Data Management Server by Ibm

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Implement CSRF Tokens

SameSite Cookie Attribute

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities