CVE-2014-0967 in InfoSphere Master Data Management Collaboration Server
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the GDS component in IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management - Collaborative Edition 10.x and 11.x before 11.0 FP4 and InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management 9.0 and 9.1 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The CVE-2014-0967 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management systems, specifically affecting the GDS component in collaborative edition versions 10.x and 11.x prior to 11.0 FP4, as well as InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management 9.0 and 9.1. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious client-side scripts into web applications. The flaw specifically manifests when the system fails to properly sanitize user input within URL parameters, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code in the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the GDS component of IBM's master data management platform. When authenticated users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script payloads, the system processes these inputs without adequate sanitization, allowing the injected code to execute in the victim's browser environment. This particular weakness exploits the trust relationship between the web application and the user, leveraging the authenticated session to deliver malicious content that can persistently affect users who interact with the vulnerable system. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it requires only authentication to exploit, meaning that any user with valid credentials can potentially launch attacks against other system users.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0967 extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates multiple attack vectors that can lead to significant security breaches. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, perform unauthorized transactions, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting or privilege escalation within the master data management environment. The collaborative nature of the affected IBM InfoSphere platform means that successful exploitation could compromise data integrity across multiple users and business units, potentially affecting master data governance processes and business-critical information systems. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting and T1059.001 for command and script injection, making it a significant concern for enterprise security operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches and hotfixes, specifically the 11.0 FP4 release for the collaborative edition and corresponding updates for the Product Information Management server. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls can provide additional defense-in-depth measures, though these should not replace proper input validation and output encoding. Security teams should also implement comprehensive monitoring of user sessions and URL parameters to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched environments to ensure that the vulnerability is properly addressed without introducing regressions in system functionality. Additionally, organizations should conduct security awareness training for administrators and users to recognize potential social engineering attempts that might leverage this vulnerability, as well as establish incident response procedures for handling potential exploitation events.