CVE-2019-4080 : What You Need to Know

IBM WebSphere Application Server Admin Console versions 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 have a vulnerability that can lead to a denial of service attack due to incorrect parameter parsing.

Understanding CVE-2019-4080

The IBM WebSphere Application Server Admin Console versions 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 are affected by a vulnerability that could be exploited by an external attacker to exhaust CPU resources, resulting in a denial of service.

What is CVE-2019-4080?

The vulnerability in IBM WebSphere Application Server Admin Console versions 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, and 9.0 allows attackers to trigger a denial of service by manipulating parameters, causing excessive CPU resource consumption.

The Impact of CVE-2019-4080

The vulnerability poses a medium severity threat with a CVSS base score of 6.5, potentially leading to a denial of service attack by consuming CPU resources.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-4080

Vulnerability Description

Vulnerability Type: Denial of Service (DoS)
Vulnerability ID: 157380
Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
Availability Impact: High

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: WebSphere Application Server
Vendor: IBM
Affected Versions: 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability is exploited by an external attacker manipulating parameters to exhaust CPU resources, causing a denial of service.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply official fixes provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
Monitor CPU resource usage for any unusual spikes that could indicate an ongoing attack.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the WebSphere Application Server to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement network security measures to detect and block malicious traffic.

Patching and Updates

IBM has released official fixes to address the vulnerability in affected versions of the WebSphere Application Server.