CVE-2024-49355
📋 TL;DR
IBM OpenPages with Watson versions 8.3 and 9.0 may write improperly neutralized data to server log files when System Tracing is enabled. This could allow attackers to inject malicious content into logs, potentially leading to log injection attacks. Organizations using these versions with tracing enabled are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM OpenPages with Watson
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Log injection could enable cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks against administrators viewing logs, potentially leading to session hijacking or administrative account compromise.
Likely Case
Log corruption or injection of misleading information into audit trails, potentially obscuring other malicious activities.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if tracing is disabled or proper log sanitization controls are implemented.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires tracing to be enabled and attacker to have ability to trigger log entries. No public exploits known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply interim fix or upgrade as specified in IBM advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7183541
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM advisory for specific patch details. 2. Apply the interim fix provided by IBM. 3. Restart the OpenPages application server. 4. Verify tracing functionality if required.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable System Tracing
allTurn off the System Tracing feature to prevent log injection vulnerability
Navigate to OpenPages Administration > System Configuration > Tracing Settings and disable tracing
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable System Tracing feature immediately
- Implement strict access controls to limit who can enable tracing features
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check OpenPages version and verify if System Tracing is enabled in administration consoleCheck Version:
Check OpenPages version in administration console or via product documentationVerify Fix Applied:
Verify patch version is applied and test that log entries are properly sanitized when tracing is enabled📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual or malformed entries in OpenPages server logs
- Suspicious characters or scripts in log files
Network Indicators:
- Unusual requests to tracing or logging endpoints
SIEM Query:
source="openpages" AND (log_message CONTAINS "<script>" OR log_message CONTAINS "javascript:")