CVE-2014-0827 in Optim Workload Replay
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Optim Workload Replay 1.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0827 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM InfoSphere Optim Workload Replay version 1.1, a component designed for performance testing and workload analysis in enterprise environments. This security weakness exists in the application's handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability specifically affects the web interface component of the workload replay tool, which is commonly used in database performance optimization and testing scenarios across various industries including finance, healthcare, and enterprise services where sensitive data processing occurs.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize or encode user input received through URL parameters before rendering them in web responses. Attackers can craft malicious URLs containing script code that gets executed when the vulnerable application processes these parameters, leading to potential session hijacking, data exfiltration, or further exploitation of the compromised system. This flaw falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, where the application does not adequately validate or escape user-supplied data before incorporating it into dynamically generated web content. The vulnerability's impact is amplified in enterprise environments where the workload replay tool is frequently accessed by multiple users with varying privilege levels, potentially allowing attackers to escalate their privileges or gain unauthorized access to sensitive performance data.
From an operational standpoint, the exploitation of this vulnerability can result in significant security implications for organizations relying on IBM InfoSphere Optim Workload Replay for database performance testing. The remote nature of the attack means that threat actors can target the system from outside the network perimeter without requiring local access or credentials, making the vulnerability particularly dangerous. Successful exploitation could enable attackers to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, inject malware, or access sensitive performance metrics and database information that the workload replay tool typically handles. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access through social engineering, as the XSS attack vector often serves as a precursor to more sophisticated attacks involving privilege escalation or lateral movement within the network environment.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches released by IBM, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms, and configuring web application firewalls to detect and block malicious URL patterns. Network segmentation and privilege separation can help limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other enterprise applications. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper input sanitization in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive operational data in performance testing environments where the attack surface is often overlooked during security assessments.