WebSphere Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2020-4450) Threat Alert

Vulnerability Description

On June 5, Beijing time, IBM released a security advisory to announce the fix of a remote code execution vulnerability (CVE-2020-4450) in WebSphere Application Server (WAS). This vulnerability is caused by deserialization of the IIOP protocol. An unauthenticated attacker could target the WAS server remotely via the IIOP protocol, causing arbitrary code execution on the target server to gain system privileges to take control of the server. This vulnerability is assigned the CVSS score of 9.8 and therefore is a high-risk one.

WebSphere Application Server is an enterprise-ready web middleware that is widely used in enterprises’ web services, thanks to its reliability, flexibility, and robustness. As this vulnerability has an extensive impact, affected users should take preventive measures as soon as possible.

Reference link:

 Scope of Impact

Affected Versions

• WebSphere Application Server 9.0.0.0 – 9.0.5.4
• WebSphere Application Server 8.5.0.0 – 8.5.5.17
• WebSphere Application Server 8.0.0.0 – 8.0.0.15 
• WebSphere Application Server 7.0.0.0 – 7.0.0.45

Note: Official support is no longer available for WebSphere Application Server V7.0 and V8.0.

Vulnerability Detection

• Version Check

Users can check whether their applications are vulnerable by checking the current version.

Method 1: Log in to the WebSphere Application Server and check the version information on the homepage.

If it is one of the affected versions, the application is vulnerable.

Method 2: Access /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/bin and execute ./versionInfo.sh to check the current version and the package build date. If the date is earlier than June 3, 2020, this application is vulnerable.

Mitigation

• Official Fix

Currently, the vendor has released a new version to fix this vulnerability and provided security patches to versions for which official support is unavailable. Affected users are advised to upgrade the application as soon as possible.

Alternatively, users can upgrade their application by applying the patch as prompted by IBM Installation Manager.

Users can manually download patches from the official website and apply them:

Note: Shut down the WebSphere server before patch installation and start the service after the installation.

Statement

This advisory is only used to describe a potential risk. NSFOCUS does not provide any commitment or promise on this advisory. NSFOCUS and the author will not bear any liability for any direct and/or indirect consequences and losses caused by transmitting and/or using this advisory. NSFOCUS reserves all the rights to modify and interpret this advisory. Please include this statement paragraph when reproducing or transferring this advisory. Do not modify this advisory, add/delete any information to/from it, or use this advisory for commercial purposes without permission from NSFOCUS.

About NSFOCUS

NSFOCUS, Inc., a global network and cyber security leader, protects enterprises and carriers from advanced cyber attacks. The company’s Intelligent Hybrid Security strategy utilizes both cloud and on-premises security platforms, built on a foundation of real-time global threat intelligence, to provide multi-layered, unified and dynamic protection against advanced cyber attacks.

NSFOCUS works with Fortune Global 500 companies, including four of the world’s five largest financial institutions, organizations in insurance, retail, healthcare, critical infrastructure industries as well as government agencies. NSFOCUS has technology and channel partners in more than 60 countries, is a member of both the Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP), and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).

A wholly owned subsidiary of NSFOCUS Technologies Group Co., Ltd., the company has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.