CVE-2013-3036 in Rational Requirements Composer
Summary
by MITRE
Open redirect vulnerability in IBM Rational Requirements Composer before 4.0.4 allows remote authenticated users to redirect users to arbitrary web sites and conduct phishing attacks via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-3036 represents a critical open redirect flaw within IBM Rational Requirements Composer version 4.0.3 and earlier. This security weakness stems from insufficient validation of redirect parameters in the application's web interface, allowing malicious actors to manipulate URL redirection behavior. The vulnerability specifically affects authenticated users who interact with the application's web-based components, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where multiple users access sensitive requirements management data.
The technical implementation of this flaw resides in the application's handling of user-supplied redirect URLs within its web framework. When users navigate through the application's interface, certain parameters are processed to determine where users should be redirected after authentication or specific actions. The vulnerability occurs because the application fails to properly validate or sanitize these redirect parameters, allowing attackers to inject malicious URLs that will be executed during subsequent user interactions. This weakness aligns with CWE-601, which specifically addresses URL redirection vulnerabilities and the potential for phishing attacks through malicious redirects.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables sophisticated social engineering campaigns where attackers can craft deceptive URLs that appear legitimate but redirect users to malicious sites. The authenticated nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to compromise user credentials directly, instead exploiting the application's own redirect functionality to deceive users into visiting harmful websites. This creates significant risk for organizations using IBM Rational Requirements Composer, as the vulnerability can be leveraged to steal session cookies, harvest user credentials, or distribute malware through phishing attacks that appear to originate from trusted internal systems.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the installation of IBM Rational Requirements Composer version 4.0.4 or later, which includes patches addressing the open redirect vulnerability. Security teams should also implement network-level controls to monitor and restrict access to potentially malicious redirect URLs, particularly within internal networks where the application is deployed. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of verifying URL destinations before clicking on links, especially when navigating enterprise applications that may be vulnerable to such attacks. The remediation process should include thorough testing to ensure that the patch does not introduce regressions in legitimate application functionality while maintaining the security improvements necessary to prevent exploitation.