CVE-2024-25035
📋 TL;DR
IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 and 11.0.1 expose server details through an information disclosure vulnerability. This allows attackers to gather sensitive information about the application environment, which could facilitate further attacks. Organizations using these specific versions of IBM Cognos Controller are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Cognos Controller
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker obtains detailed server configuration, environment variables, and system information, enabling targeted follow-up attacks like privilege escalation, authentication bypass, or remote code execution.
Likely Case
Attackers gather reconnaissance data about the server environment, potentially exposing internal network details, software versions, or configuration weaknesses that could be exploited in chained attacks.
If Mitigated
Limited exposure of non-critical information with no direct path to system compromise, though some reconnaissance value remains.
🎯 Exploit Status
Information disclosure vulnerabilities typically require minimal technical skill to exploit, often through simple HTTP requests or misconfigured endpoints.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply fix as per IBM advisory - typically requires upgrading to a patched version or applying specific fixes.
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7177220
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM advisory at provided URL. 2. Apply recommended fix or upgrade to non-vulnerable version. 3. Restart IBM Cognos Controller services. 4. Verify fix implementation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Access Restriction
allRestrict network access to IBM Cognos Controller to trusted IP addresses only.
Use firewall rules to limit access (e.g., iptables on Linux, Windows Firewall on Windows).
Web Server Configuration Hardening
allConfigure web server to prevent information leakage through headers and error messages.
Configure web server (e.g., Apache, IIS) to suppress detailed error messages and server headers.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to isolate IBM Cognos Controller from untrusted networks.
- Deploy web application firewall (WAF) rules to block requests that attempt to access sensitive information endpoints.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check IBM Cognos Controller version via administrative interface or configuration files. If version is 11.0.0 or 11.0.1, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check version in IBM Cognos Controller web interface under Help > About, or examine installation directory version files.Verify Fix Applied:
After applying fix, verify version is no longer 11.0.0 or 11.0.1, and test that server details are no longer exposed through previously vulnerable endpoints.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual HTTP requests to endpoints that might expose server information, multiple requests from single IPs attempting reconnaissance.
Network Indicators:
- HTTP traffic patterns showing repeated requests to non-standard paths or error pages that might leak information.
SIEM Query:
source="cognos_controller" AND (url="*debug*" OR url="*error*" OR status>=400) | stats count by src_ip