CVE-2011-2682 in Rational DOORS Web Access
Summary
by MITRE
The Login component in IBM Rational DOORS Web Access 1.4.x before 1.4.0.4 allows remote authenticated users to cause a denial of service (license consumption) by trying to login to DOORS Web Access with a new user account that has never been used for a DOORS login.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2682 resides within the Login component of IBM Rational DOORS Web Access version 1.4.x prior to 1.4.0.4, representing a significant security flaw that impacts the availability and resource management aspects of the system. This issue specifically targets the authentication mechanism and manifests when remote authenticated users attempt to establish login sessions using newly created user accounts that have never been utilized for DOORS authentication. The flaw operates at the application layer and demonstrates how improper handling of user account states can lead to resource exhaustion vulnerabilities. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability falls under the category of denial of service attacks that specifically target licensing mechanisms rather than traditional system availability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate validation and handling of user account states within the authentication process. When a new user account is created but has never been used for DOORS login, the system fails to properly manage the license allocation process. This misconfiguration causes the system to consume licenses unnecessarily for accounts that should not require active licensing. The flaw operates by exploiting the gap between account creation and actual usage, where the system's license management logic does not properly distinguish between newly created accounts and those that have legitimately attempted to access the system. This results in the continuous consumption of available licenses without proper justification, effectively depleting the license pool for legitimate users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to encompass resource management and licensing integrity issues within enterprise environments. Organizations utilizing IBM Rational DOORS Web Access may experience unexpected license exhaustion, leading to unauthorized users being unable to access the system and legitimate users facing reduced access capacity. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where license counts are tightly controlled and where the number of concurrent users exceeds the available license pool. This can result in cascading effects where authorized users lose access to critical requirements management tools, potentially impacting project timelines and collaborative development workflows. The flaw also represents a potential vector for license abuse and can be exploited by malicious actors to systematically consume available licenses, effectively creating a denial of service condition.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing proper account validation procedures and license management controls. Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch or update to version 1.4.0.4 or later, which addresses the underlying license consumption issue. Additionally, system administrators should implement monitoring mechanisms to detect unusual license consumption patterns and establish automated alerts for license depletion. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-400, which addresses improper resource management and license exhaustion issues, and demonstrates how inadequate input validation can lead to resource consumption attacks. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and resource consumption, though it specifically targets the licensing subsystem rather than direct system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing account lifecycle management policies that ensure proper validation of new user accounts before license allocation occurs, preventing the exploitation of this particular flaw.