CVE-2014-0908
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe User Attribute implementation in IBM Business Process Manager (BPM) 7.5.x through 7.5.1.2, 8.0.x through 8.0.1.2, and 8.5.x through 8.5.0.1 does not verify authorization for read or write access to attribute values, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information, configure e-mail notifications, or modify task assignments via REST API calls.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIBM Business Process Manager's User Attribute implementation fails to enforce authorization checks on REST API endpoints, allowing any authenticated user to read or write attribute values belonging to other users. This Broken Access Control vulnerability enables privilege escalation through the REST API, permitting unauthorized access to sensitive information, manipulation of e-mail notification settings, and alteration of task assignments.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 7.5.0.0= 7.5.0.1= 7.5.1.0= 7.5.1.1= 7.5.1.2= 8.0.0.0= 8.0.1.0= 8.0.1.1= 8.0.1.2= 8.5.0.0= 8.5.0.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed IBM BPM versionLocate the IBM Business Process Manager installation directory and check the version file or use the versionInfo command from the bin directory. Common paths include /opt/ibm/BPM or C:\IBM\BPM on Windows.Affected if The installed version matches 7.5.0.0, 7.5.0.1, 7.5.1.0, 7.5.1.1, 7.5.1.2, 8.0.0.0, 8.0.1.0, 8.0.1.1, 8.0.1.2, 8.5.0.0, or 8.5.0.1.
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Confirm REST API is accessibleVerify that the REST API endpoints are exposed and reachable. Typically accessible at /rest/bpm/wsi or similar REST service URLs under the BPM context root.Affected if The REST API endpoints are exposed and respond to requests without additional access controls beyond authentication.
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Check REST API user access controlsReview the REST API configuration in the IBM BPM administrative console to determine if any restrictions are applied to trusted users only.Affected if No additional authorization layer exists beyond basic authentication for REST API user attribute endpoints.
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Review API access logs for unauthorized attribute accessExamine IBM BPM server logs and HTTP access logs for REST API calls that access user attributes of other users, particularly GET or PUT operations on /rest/bpm/wsi/user attributes with foreign user IDs.Affected if Logs show REST API calls accessing user attributes belonging to users other than the authenticated requester.
The environment is affected if the installed IBM BPM version is between 7.5.0.0 and 8.5.0.1 and the REST API is accessible without additional authorization controls beyond authentication.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply IBM BPM security patches for versions 7.5.1.3, 8.0.1.3, and 8.5.0.2 or later. Until patches are available, restrict REST API access to trusted users and monitor API activity for unauthorized attribute access patterns.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0908 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-0908 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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