Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-46179

Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy 6.0.3 … 6.1.0

Published
15 March 2024
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 4.3
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0028 20th percentile
Risk Priority 36 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-46179 is a medium-severity Sensitive Cookie in HTTPS Session Without 'Secure' Attribute (CWE-614) vulnerability in Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy. Its CVSS base score is 4.3 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Steal Web Session Cookie (T1539); ranked at the 20th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SC-8 (Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

A02:2025 Security Misconfiguration

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

IBM Sterling Secure Proxy 6.0.3 and 6.1.0 does not set the secure attribute on authorization tokens or session cookies. Attackers may be able to get the cookie values by sending a http:// link to a user or by planting this…

more

link in a site the user goes to. The cookie will be sent to the insecure link and the attacker can then obtain the cookie value by snooping the traffic. IBM X-Force ID: 269683.

CWE(s)
CWE-614

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1539 Steal Web Session Cookie Credential Access
An adversary may steal web application or service session cookies and use them to gain access to web applications or Internet services as an authenticated user without needing credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1040 Network Sniffing Credential Access
Adversaries may passively sniff network traffic to capture information about an environment, including authentication material passed over the network.
attack.mitre.org →
T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as [Network Sniffing](https://attack.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-47162Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2023-46182Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2023-47699Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2024-38341Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2023-33860Same vendor: Ibm
CVE-2023-46181Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2025-36026Same vendor: Ibm
CVE-2024-51453Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2024-41784Same product: Ibm Sterling Secure Proxy
CVE-2025-36011Same vendor: Ibm

Affected Assets

ibm
sterling secure proxy
6.0.3, 6.1.0

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V3.3.1

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity good match

Requiring confidentiality protection for transmitted information forces use of HTTPS-only cookies via the Secure attribute, eliminating exposure of sensitive session data.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.DS-02 mostly match
prevents

Setting the Secure attribute is a direct mechanism for protecting sensitive session data in transit over HTTPS.

PR.PS-01 mostly match
prevents

Enforcing hardened configuration baselines includes requiring the Secure flag on sensitive cookies.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices explicitly require correct use of security attributes such as the cookie Secure flag.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
mitigates

Use of cryptography control mandates encryption in transit, which HTTPS provides, but does not specifically require the Secure cookie attribute.

A.8.26 Application security requirements partial match
prevents

Application security requirements can include cookie security settings, but the control is broader and does not explicitly mandate the Secure attribute.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding practices directly prevent missing the Secure attribute on sensitive cookies, though the control covers many other coding issues.

A.8.5 Secure authentication partial match
degrades

Secure authentication control requires protection of session credentials, directly addressed by setting the Secure flag on sensitive cookies.

References