CVE-2014-0844 in Rational Requirements Composer
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in IBM Rational Requirements Composer 3.x before 3.0.1.6 iFix2 and 4.x before 4.0.6, and Rational DOORS Next Generation 4.x before 4.0.6, allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary data via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-0844 represents a critical information disclosure flaw affecting IBM Rational Requirements Composer and Rational DOORS Next Generation software versions prior to specific patch releases. This vulnerability exists within the authentication and authorization mechanisms of these enterprise-level requirements management tools, which are widely utilized in software development lifecycle processes. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that multiple pathways could potentially be exploited by authenticated attackers, making the vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations relying on these platforms for managing sensitive requirements and development data.
The technical flaw manifests as an insufficient access control mechanism that permits authenticated users to bypass normal security restrictions and access data they should not be authorized to view. This represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where legitimate users can leverage their authenticated status to gain unauthorized access to information belonging to other users or system components. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and leverages the existing authentication context to perform unauthorized data retrieval operations, making it particularly dangerous as it requires minimal additional attack preparation beyond legitimate user access. The flaw could be classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control, which specifically addresses inadequate authorization checks in software systems.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing these tools for managing sensitive project requirements, business specifications, and development artifacts. The ability to read arbitrary data means that attackers could potentially access confidential information including requirements specifications, test cases, project timelines, and other proprietary data that should remain restricted to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability affects both Rational Requirements Composer 3.x and 4.x versions, as well as Rational DOORS Next Generation 4.x, indicating a widespread impact across multiple product lines within IBM's requirements management portfolio. This could lead to intellectual property theft, competitive disadvantage, and potential compliance violations depending on the nature of the data being accessed.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the recommended iFix patches for IBM Rational Requirements Composer 3.0.1.6 and 4.0.6 versions, as well as Rational DOORS Next Generation 4.0.6 releases. Network segmentation and access control measures should be enhanced to limit the blast radius of potential exploitation, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect unusual access patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078: Valid Accounts, as it exploits legitimate authenticated user credentials to access unauthorized data, and T1005: Data from Local System, as it allows access to data stored within the application's database. Regular security assessments and privileged access reviews should be conducted to ensure that access controls remain properly configured and that unauthorized access attempts are detected and prevented. Organizations should also consider implementing additional logging and auditing capabilities to track data access patterns and identify potential exploitation attempts.