A vulnerability has been identified in IBM Aspera Shares, specifically affecting versions 1.9.9 through 1.11.0. This vulnerability allows for improper rate limiting of email sending frequency by authenticated users, which could lead to email flooding or denial of service. The CVSS score for this vulnerability is 2.7, categorizing it as low severity.
The existence of this vulnerability poses a risk to organizations utilizing IBM Aspera Shares, as it can potentially disrupt communication and services reliant on email functionality. Organizations should be aware of the potential for service disruption and prioritize remediation efforts.
Currently, there are no known exploits for this vulnerability, and it is not listed in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. As a result, defenders should be proactive in applying patches and monitoring for any unusual email activity.
Organizations should prioritize patching immediately to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability. Regular updates and monitoring are essential to maintaining security and preventing potential exploitation.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability allows authenticated users to send emails without proper rate limiting. This can lead to scenarios where users may unintentionally or maliciously flood the email system, causing denial of service.
The specific CVSS score of 2.7 indicates low severity, with a CVSS vector of CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L, detailing that the attack vector is network-based, the complexity is low, and high privileges are required to exploit the vulnerability.
IBM Aspera Shares is the affected product, and the vulnerability was published on April 1, 2026. The associated Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) ID is CWE-770.
Technical Analysis
The root cause of the vulnerability lies in the lack of proper rate limiting on the email sending functionality within IBM Aspera Shares. This oversight allows authenticated users to exploit the system by sending an excessive number of emails in a short time frame.
The attack vector is network-based, as email functionality is accessible over the network. The attack complexity is low, meaning that an attacker with high privileges can easily send numerous emails without user interaction. The impacts are focused on availability, with a low impact on the system's overall availability.
Risk & Impact Analysis
The low severity of this vulnerability indicates that while it does pose a risk, it may not lead to severe consequences if mitigated promptly. However, organizations using IBM Aspera Shares should understand that this vulnerability could potentially disrupt their email services, which are critical for business operations.
The potential blast radius includes all users of the application, as any authenticated user could exploit the vulnerability to flood the email system. Organizations must assess the urgency of addressing this vulnerability based on their unique deployment and reliance on email communications.
Signal | Status |
|---|---|
Known Exploit | No |
Public PoC | No |
Actively Exploited | No |
Ransomware Use | No |
Affected Versions
The affected versions of IBM Aspera Shares include all versions from 1.9.9 to 1.11.0, specifically prior to the vendor's patch release.
Mitigation & Remediation
Organizations should monitor their email systems for unusual activity and apply any available patches released by IBM to address this vulnerability. In the absence of a patch, consider implementing rate limiting at the email server level as a workaround.
Further, organizations can enhance their security posture by employing penetration testing to identify similar weaknesses and ensure compliance with best practices.
Detection Guidance
To detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability, organizations should monitor logs for indicators of excessive email sending. Look for patterns such as repeated email submissions from the same user account and unusual spikes in email traffic.
AppSecure Threat Intelligence Insight
The long-term significance of this vulnerability highlights the importance of robust rate limiting mechanisms within applications that handle user-generated content. Organizations should adopt a proactive approach to security, continuously evaluating their applications for similar vulnerabilities.
Security teams should regularly engage in threat modeling and assessments to identify potential risks before they can be exploited. The pattern represented by this vulnerability serves as a reminder of the necessity for comprehensive application security reviews.
For comprehensive security assessments, organizations should consider our application security assessment services, along with regular vulnerability assessments to maintain a secure environment.
Engaging in continuous security testing will help organizations identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in the wild.
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
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