Description

IBM WebSphere Application Server 9.0, and 8.5 and IBM WebSphere Application Server - Liberty could allow a remote attacker to conduct phishing attacks, using an open redirect attack. By persuading a victim to visit a specially crafted Web site, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to spoof the URL displayed to redirect a user to a malicious Web site that would appear to be trusted. This could allow the attacker to obtain highly sensitive information or conduct further attacks against the victim.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "6.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-14T20:16:38.287Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-14T20:16:38.287Z",
  "executiveSummary": "IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) versions 9.0 and 8.5, and IBM WebSphere Application Server - Liberty are susceptible to an open redirect vulnerability.\nThis flaw allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to leverage the application to redirect users to arbitrary, malicious domains.\nThe vulnerability occurs when an application accepts untrusted input to determine the redirection target without adequate validation or sanitization.\nBy crafting a malicious URL that appears to originate from a trusted IBM WebSphere environment, an attacker can facilitate sophisticated phishing campaigns.\nVictims may be tricked into visiting malicious sites, potentially resulting in the compromise of highly sensitive information, such as session tokens, credentials, or personal data.\nThe attack requires user interaction, where the victim must be persuaded to click a specifically crafted link, effectively bypassing security heuristics that rely on domain trust.\nThe risk implication is significant as the trusted context of the WebSphere server is used to lend credibility to the malicious redirect, increasing the success rate of social engineering attacks.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides within the request handling logic of IBM WebSphere Application Server and Liberty, specifically involving the improper processing of URL parameters intended for redirection.\nAn open redirect vulnerability exists when an application incorporates user-supplied data into a location header or a server-side redirect instruction without verifying that the destination is within a trusted or expected domain.\nThe attack flow begins with the attacker constructing a malicious hyperlink that references a legitimate endpoint hosted on a vulnerable IBM WebSphere server instance. The URL includes a parameter—often used for post-authentication redirects or landing page functionality—which is populated with a target URL pointing to an attacker-controlled domain.\nUpon clicking the link, the user is directed to the IBM WebSphere server. The server processes the request and, due to insufficient input validation on the redirect parameter, parses the external URL and issues an HTTP 3xx status code (e.g., 302 Found) to the browser, instructing it to navigate to the malicious destination.\nBecause the initial request is initiated via a trusted domain, the browser's security indicators may not alert the user to the malicious nature of the final destination. The attacker effectively weaponizes the application as a proxy to circumvent standard cross-origin protections and trust-based filters.\nExploitation does not require prior authentication or elevated privileges, as the vulnerable entry point is typically accessible to any remote user. The attack is strictly network-accessible and relies on the server's failure to maintain an allow-list of permitted redirection targets.\nPost-exploitation, the attacker can leverage the trusted origin to facilitate credential harvesting, deliver drive-by download malware, or conduct session hijacking if the target site mimics an application that the user typically accesses. The impact is primarily associated with the subversion of user trust and the successful delivery of secondary malicious payloads, rather than direct remote code execution on the application server itself."
}