IBM has addressed multiple high-severity vulnerabilities in its OpenPages Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) platform that could enable attackers to hijack user sessions, steal authentication credentials, and manipulate critical enterprise data.
The flaws affect versions 8.3 and 9.0 of the software, with fixes released in February 2025 through Fix Pack 5 for v9.0 and interim patches for v8.3.
Exploitation Pathways and Technical Impact
Among the 10+ documented CVEs, CVE-2024-45613 (CVSS 7.2) in the integrated CKEditor 5 component enables cross-site scripting (XSS) via malicious clipboard content.
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This allows session cookie theft by injecting JavaScript payloads into administrative interfaces.
Attackers could combine this with CVE-2024-49779 (CVSS 4.3), which bypasses CSRF protections by swapping session IDs and anti-CSRF tokens between accounts, enabling lateral movement across privileged roles.
The platform’s email notification system introduces two attack vectors:
CVE-2024-49337 (CVSS 5.4): HTML injection in workflow-triggered emails permits phishing payloads using <script> tags masked as benign object metadata.
CVE-2024-49782 (CVSS 6.8): SSL/TLS certificate validation failures let attackers spoof mail servers, intercepting password reset links or exfiltrating sensitive reports.
Session management flaws further exacerbate risks. CVE-2024-49344 (CVSS 4.3) leaves Watson Assistant chat sessions active post-logout, allowing reuse of cached credentials, while CVE-2024-49781 (CVSS 7.1) enables XML External Entity (XXE) attacks to extract hashed passwords from configuration files.
Infrastructure Weaknesses and Credential Exposure
System administrators face additional threats from CVE-2024-49780 (CVSS 5.3), a path traversal flaw permitting unauthorized file writes via manipulated Import Configuration requests containing /../ sequences.
This could overwrite security policies or deploy backdoors. Meanwhile, CVE-2024-49355 (CVSS 5.3) logs unsanitized user input when tracing is enabled, exposing session tokens and API keys in debug files.
The vulnerabilities mirror credential mishandling patterns observed in other IBM products.
A January 2025 analysis of IBM i Access Client Solutions revealed Windows credentials stored with weak obfuscation in registry keys (CVE-2016-0209), allowing local privilege escalation.
While OpenPages’ newer versions employ registry ACLs, legacy deployments remain susceptible to similar credential extraction techniques.
Mitigation and Patch Deployment
IBM mandates the immediate installation of:
- OpenPages 9.0 Fix Pack 5 (v9.0.0.5) for all deployments
- OpenPages 8.3 Fix Pack 3 + Interim Fix 1 for supported legacy systems
Unsupported versions (8.0-8.2) require upgrading to patched releases. The fixes overhaul input validation in 12 modules, including:
- Sanitization of 43 HTTP parameters vulnerable to XSS
- Implementation of cryptographic signatures for configuration files
- Session invalidation protocols for Watson Assistant integrations
Strategic Implications for GRC Security
These vulnerabilities highlight systemic challenges in enterprise risk platforms that aggregate sensitive data. Security teams should:
- Audit all OpenPages-integrated systems for exposed credentials using tools like IBM’s Security Directory Integrator
- Monitor for anomalous XML parsing activity indicative of XXE exploitation
- Restrict mail server permissions to enforce S/MIME signing on notifications
As regulatory bodies increase scrutiny of third-party risk management, timely patching of GRC systems becomes critical to compliance with frameworks like NIST 800-53 and ISO 27001.
With authentication bypass techniques now weaponized in ransomware campaigns, organizations must prioritize credential protection in risk assessment workflows.
IBM’s continued investment in OpenPages’ security architecture, evidenced by 2024’s 38% reduction in CVSS 7.0+ vulnerabilities, demonstrates progress, but layered defenses remain essential.
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