CVE-2014-0945 in Operational Decision Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the RES Console in Rule Execution Server in IBM Operational Decision Manager 7.5 before FP3 IF37, 8.0 before MP1 FP2, and 8.5 before MP1 IF26 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/02/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-0945 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Operational Decision Manager's Rule Execution Server component, specifically affecting the RES Console interface. This security weakness resides in the server'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 impacts multiple versions of IBM's decision management platform, including versions 7.5 before FP3 IF37, 8.0 before MP1 FP2, and 8.5 before MP1 IF26, indicating a widespread issue affecting the core operational decision management infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the RES Console's URL processing functionality. When authenticated users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script payloads, the system fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it in the web interface. This lack of proper input sanitization creates an environment where attackers can inject JavaScript code or HTML elements that execute within the victim's browser context. The vulnerability specifically targets the console's URL parameter handling, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web navigation without requiring additional attack vectors or complex exploitation techniques.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the authenticated user context. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can potentially access sensitive decision management data, manipulate business rules, and gain unauthorized access to the operational decision management system. The authenticated nature of the attack means that exploitation requires legitimate user credentials, but once achieved, the attacker can leverage the victim's privileges to perform actions that would normally be restricted. This vulnerability directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of decision management processes, potentially compromising business-critical rule execution environments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, output encoding mechanisms, and regular security updates to address the identified XSS weakness. The recommended approach involves implementing proper HTML escaping and input sanitization for all URL parameters processed by the RES Console, ensuring that any user-supplied input is properly validated before being rendered in the web interface. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious URL patterns, while also ensuring that all systems are updated to the latest available patches from IBM. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a clear violation of secure coding practices that should be addressed through comprehensive security testing and input validation procedures.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies for critical business applications. Organizations using IBM Operational Decision Manager should conduct thorough security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in their decision management infrastructure, particularly focusing on web interface components that handle user input. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the application layer attack patterns, specifically related to web application exploitation techniques that leverage authentication bypasses and session manipulation to achieve persistent access to critical business systems. Regular security monitoring and incident response procedures should be established to detect potential exploitation attempts and maintain the integrity of decision management environments that process sensitive business rules and operational data.