CVE-2012-2193 in Cognos Business Intelligence
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Query Studio in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) 8.4.1 before IF1, 10.1 before IF2, 10.1.1 before IF2, and 10.2 before IF1 allows user-assisted remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/08/2018
The CVE-2012-2193 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence Query Studio components across multiple version ranges including 8.4.1 before IF1, 10.1 before IF2, 10.1.1 before IF2, and 10.2 before IF1. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The affected IBM Cognos BI platform serves as a comprehensive business intelligence solution that enables organizations to analyze and report on business data through various dashboards and query interfaces.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through unspecified vectors within the Query Studio functionality of IBM Cognos BI, where user-assisted remote attackers can inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content. This injection capability enables attackers to manipulate the behavior of web applications and potentially access sensitive user data, session information, or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning because it affects multiple versions of the IBM Cognos platform, suggesting a widespread exposure across different deployment environments and organizational security postures.
From an operational perspective, this XSS vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations utilizing IBM Cognos BI systems, as it can be leveraged to conduct session hijacking attacks, steal user credentials, or redirect users to malicious websites. The user-assisted nature of the attack means that some level of user interaction is required, but this requirement does not significantly reduce the overall threat level given that many users may be unaware of the potential risks. The vulnerability's presence in Query Studio components is particularly dangerous as this functionality is typically used for creating and executing business intelligence reports, making it a prime target for exploitation.
Organizations affected by CVE-2012-2193 should prioritize immediate remediation through official IBM patches and updates, specifically targeting the mentioned version ranges. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for Phishing and T1059 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, demonstrating how such flaws can be leveraged as initial access vectors in broader attack campaigns. Security teams should implement additional protective measures including web application firewalls, input validation controls, and regular security assessments of their business intelligence platforms. The remediation process should also include user education to help identify potentially malicious content and proper security configuration of the IBM Cognos BI environment to minimize attack surface and prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.