CVE-2021-38986 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

IBM MQ Appliance versions 9.2 LTS and 9.2 CD are affected by a session fixation vulnerability that allows authenticated users to impersonate others. The severity score is 5.6 (Medium).

Understanding CVE-2021-38986

This CVE identifies a security issue in IBM MQ Appliance, impacting versions 9.2 LTS and 9.2 CD. The vulnerability allows unauthorized user impersonation.

What is CVE-2021-38986?

The vulnerability in IBM MQ Appliance versions 9.2 LTS and 9.2 CD enables authenticated users to impersonate other users due to the lack of session invalidation after logout.

The Impact of CVE-2021-38986

The impact of this vulnerability is significant as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access by impersonating legitimate users on the system.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-38986

The CVSS V3.0 score for this vulnerability is 5.6 (Medium severity) with high attack complexity and network-based vector, affecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a certain extent.

Vulnerability Description

IBM MQ Appliance 9.2 LTS and 9.2 CD fail to invalidate user sessions post-logout, leading to potential user impersonation.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: MQ Appliance
Vendor: IBM
Affected Versions: 9.2 LTS, 9.2 CD

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability could be exploited by authenticated users to impersonate others, posing a threat to system integrity and data confidentiality.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2021-38986, immediate steps and long-term security practices need to be implemented along with patching and updates.

Immediate Steps to Take

IBM recommends applying the official fix provided by the vendor.
Review user access and permissions to restrict unauthorized activities.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly monitor and audit user sessions for suspicious activities.
Conduct security awareness training to educate users about session security.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security patches released by IBM to address the session fixation vulnerability in MQ Appliance versions.