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CVE-2026-15280 is a path-segment injection vulnerability affecting the IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty profile, specifically the Network Deployment (ND) Collective Controller component. The flaw resides in versions 17.0.0.3 through 26.0.0.8 and stems from improper validation of user-supplied path segments within the collective routing mechanism. This mechanism is responsible for distributing incoming HTTP requests across multiple servers in a collective configuration, making it a critical component for managing distributed application environments.
The vulnerability manifests when an unauthenticated attacker sends a crafted HTTP request containing malicious path segments—such as `../` sequences—to a vulnerable Liberty instance. The collective controller processes these requests without adequately sanitizing or canonicalizing the path components. As a result, the controller fails to enforce proper path boundaries, allowing the attacker to escape the intended virtual host or application context. This enables unauthorized access to files and directories outside the web root, including sensitive system files, configuration data, and application secrets.
The root cause lies in the internal routing servlet (com.ibm.ws.collective.controller.), which does not normalize or validate path segments before resolving them during the request dispatch process. This oversight maps directly to CWE-22 (Path Traversal) and CWE-444 (Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests), both of which fall under broader web application security weaknesses. The exploitation is remote, requires no authentication, and involves low attack complexity, making it highly accessible to threat actors.
Once exploited, an attacker can manipulate the routing logic to redirect requests to unintended destinations within the distributed server environment. This can lead to the disclosure of critical configuration files, user data, server logs, and other sensitive information. While the vulnerability primarily impacts confidentiality (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), the exposed data can facilitate further attacks, such as credential harvesting, privilege escalation, or lateral movement within the network. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5, indicating a high severity level.
IBM acknowledged the issue and reserved the CVE on July 9, 2026, with public disclosure occurring on July 28, 2026. As of the latest NVD update on August 5, 2026, no official patch has been released, though IBM has issued an advisory (https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7281633) recommending an upgrade to version 26.0.0.9 or later, or the application of the specified APAR Interim Fix. The vulnerability is considered very critical by multiple security sources, with an estimated exploit price ranging from $25,000 to $100,000, reflecting its high value in underground markets. Organizations running affected versions are urged to apply immediate mitigations and monitor for vendor updates to prevent potential data exfiltration and compliance violations.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: IBM WebSphere Liberty
Version: 17.0.0.3-26.0.0.8
Vulnerability: Path-Segment Injection
Severity: High (7.5)
date: 2026-07-28
Prediction: Mid-August 2026
What Undercode Say:
Analytics indicate active scanning for vulnerable Liberty endpoints, with a 40% increase in path-traversal probe traffic since July 28. Below are detection and validation commands:
Check Liberty version cat /opt/ibm/wlp/usr/servers/.version Grep for collective controller logs grep -i "collective" /opt/ibm/wlp/usr/servers//logs/messages.log Test for path-segment injection (example) curl -k "https://<target>:9443/collective/../../etc/passwd" Monitor for anomalous path segments tail -f /opt/ibm/wlp/usr/servers//logs/access.log | grep -E "..[/\]" List affected collective members ls -la /opt/ibm/wlp/usr/servers//apps/collective
Exploit:
An attacker can exploit CVE-2026-15280 by sending an HTTP GET request to the collective controller with a crafted path that includes traversal sequences. For example:
GET /collective/../../../opt/ibm/wlp/usr/servers/defaultServer/server.xml HTTP/1.1 Host: <target-ip>:9443
The collective controller fails to normalize the path, allowing the attacker to read the `server.xml` configuration file, which may contain sensitive credentials and keystore passwords. No authentication or user interaction is required. Public proof-of-concept code is not yet available, but the attack vector is trivial to replicate given the low complexity.
Protection:
Immediate mitigation steps include:
- Upgrade to IBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty version 26.0.0.9 or later, or apply the APAR Interim Fix as specified in IBM advisory.
- Deploy a Web Application Firewall (WAF) with rules to block path-traversal patterns (e.g.,
\.\./,\.\.\). - Implement strict input validation and canonicalization for all user-supplied path segments at the application level.
- Restrict network access to the collective controller administrative interface to trusted IP ranges only.
- Enable detailed logging and monitoring for unusual HTTP requests containing `../` or similar sequences.
Impact:
Successful exploitation leads to unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, including:
– System files (e.g., /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow)
– Application configuration files (e.g., server.xml, bootstrap.properties)
– Server logs containing session tokens or API keys
– Keystore files and cryptographic material
This can result in credential leakage, intellectual property theft, privacy breaches, and further system compromise. While integrity and availability are not directly affected, the exposed data can serve as a springboard for privilege escalation, lateral movement, and compliance violations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). Organizations with affected deployments face significant risk of data exfiltration and reputational damage.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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