Description

IBM API Connect 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to bypass security restrictions due to improper authentication. Information supplied by the client is not sufficiently verified, which could allow a caller to impersonate another party.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-11-07T05:18:29.247Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-11-07T05:18:29.247Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves an authentication bypass flaw within IBM API Connect, specifically impacting versions 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2.\nThe root cause is identified as improper verification of information supplied by the client during the authentication process.\nA remote authenticated attacker can leverage this flaw to impersonate other users or system entities, effectively circumventing established security restrictions.\nThe risk implication is significant as it undermines the integrity of identity verification mechanisms within the API management lifecycle.\nExploitation requires the attacker to already hold authenticated status within the environment, though they do not need higher-level privileges to perform the impersonation.\nSuccessful exploitation allows unauthorized access to resources or functions that the attacker is not legitimately permitted to interact with, potentially leading to unauthorized data access or administrative actions.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability resides in the authentication framework of IBM API Connect, where client-provided data is inadequately validated during the request authentication cycle.\nUnder normal operations, the system expects specific cryptographic or identification tokens to be provided and validated against a backend identity store. However, due to the improper verification logic, the system fails to sufficiently bind the client-supplied identifying information to the session context.\nThe attack flow begins when a remote attacker, who has already established a legitimate authenticated session, crafts a request containing spoofed identity parameters.\nBy manipulating the fields that the application trusts to identify the caller, the attacker can force the system to associate the current request with an identity belonging to a different user or administrative entity.\nThe vulnerable component essentially trusts the client input without performing a secondary verification check against the actual session metadata or the primary authentication backend.\nConsequently, the system treats the malicious request as if it originated from the impersonated party, granting the attacker the permissions associated with that identity.\nThis behavior facilitates a privilege escalation scenario where the attacker can perform unauthorized actions or access sensitive API management data without possessing the legitimate credentials of the target user.\nBecause the application logic does not enforce strict binding between the session token and the identity claim provided in the request headers or body, the authentication gate is effectively bypassed.\nAffected versions include IBM API Connect 10.0.8.0 through 10.0.8.12 and 12.1.0.0 through 12.1.1.2. The attack is executable over the network from any point where an authenticated user can submit requests to the API management interface.\nPost-exploitation impact is severe, as it grants attackers the ability to perform operations under the guise of other users, leading to a complete compromise of the logical authorization boundaries enforced by the API Connect platform."
}