CVE-2013-0586 in Cognos Business Intelligence
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the server in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) 8.4.1, 10.1, 10.1.1, 10.2, and 10.2.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/20/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0586 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Cognos Business Intelligence server components. This security weakness affects multiple versions of the IBM Cognos BI platform including 8.4.1, 10.1, 10.1.1, 10.2, and 10.2.1, making it a widespread concern for organizations utilizing this business intelligence solution. The vulnerability specifically resides in the server-side processing capabilities of the Cognos BI system, where user-supplied input fails to undergo proper sanitization before being rendered in web responses. This flaw enables authenticated attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of other users' browsers, potentially compromising the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive business intelligence data.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications. The flaw operates by allowing malicious input to be processed and returned to users without adequate validation or encoding measures. Attackers can exploit this weakness through unspecified vectors that likely involve the manipulation of parameters or input fields within the Cognos BI interface. The authenticated nature of the attack means that adversaries must first establish valid credentials to the system, but once authenticated, they can leverage this vulnerability to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code that will execute in the browsers of other legitimate users. This creates a persistent threat where compromised sessions can be used to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or exfiltrate sensitive business intelligence information.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-0586 extends beyond simple data theft, as it can facilitate more sophisticated attacks within the enterprise environment. Organizations using affected IBM Cognos BI versions face potential exposure of sensitive business analytics, financial reports, and strategic planning data that could be accessed or manipulated by malicious actors. The vulnerability creates a persistent backdoor that attackers can use to maintain access to the system, potentially enabling them to escalate privileges or move laterally within the network. Given that Cognos BI systems often contain critical business intelligence and executive dashboards, the compromise of such systems can result in significant financial and operational damage. The attack surface is particularly concerning as it affects the server-side processing components that handle data visualization and reporting functions, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to gain insights into organizational operations and strategic initiatives.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch management and input validation improvements. Organizations must prioritize applying the official IBM security patches released for affected versions of Cognos BI to address the root cause of the XSS vulnerability. Additionally, implementing robust input validation and output encoding measures can help prevent malicious scripts from being executed in user contexts. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and conducting regular security assessments of business intelligence platforms, particularly those handling sensitive organizational data. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and additional security controls to protect against similar vulnerabilities in their broader technology infrastructure, as this flaw demonstrates the critical need for comprehensive security measures in enterprise analytics platforms.