CVE-2014-0968 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 for an MHTML document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/05/2018
The vulnerability CVE-2014-0968 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management products, specifically affecting the GDS component in Collaborative Edition versions 10.x and 11.x prior to 11.0 Feature Pack 4, as well as InfoSphere Master Data Management Server for Product Information Management versions 9.0 and 9.1. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw manifests when the system processes URLs for MHTML documents without proper input validation or sanitization, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user-supplied input within the GDS component's handling of MHTML document URLs. When an authenticated user submits a crafted URL containing malicious script code, the system fails to properly sanitize or encode the input before processing or displaying it within the web interface. This allows an attacker to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers. The vulnerability specifically targets the MHTML document processing functionality, which is commonly used for rich content presentation and document management within master data management systems. The attack requires authentication, meaning that only users with valid credentials can exploit this weakness, though this limitation does not significantly reduce the potential impact given the privileged nature of master data management systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-0968 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities including session hijacking, data theft, privilege escalation, and redirection to malicious sites. Since this vulnerability affects master data management systems, the potential damage is particularly severe as it could compromise the integrity and confidentiality of critical business data. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, execute unauthorized operations within the master data management environment, or redirect users to phishing sites designed to capture additional credentials. The affected systems typically handle sensitive master data including customer information, product catalogs, and business-critical datasets, making successful exploitation particularly dangerous from an enterprise security perspective. Organizations using these versions may face compliance violations and data breach risks if exploited.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-0968 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems to the recommended IBM fixes, specifically upgrading to IBM InfoSphere Master Data Management 11.0 Feature Pack 4 or later versions for Collaborative Edition, and the corresponding updates for Product Information Management Server 9.0 and 9.1. Organizations should also implement additional defensive measures including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, particularly URLs and document references within the affected components. Network segmentation and privileged access controls should be enforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual URL patterns or document processing activities that might indicate attempted exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through social engineering and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter, highlighting the need for comprehensive defensive measures. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in related systems and ensure overall security posture remains robust against evolving attack vectors.