CVE-2014-6145 in Cognos Business Intelligence
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the server in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.1 before IF10, 10.1.1 before IF9, 10.2 before IF11, 10.2.1 before IF8, and 10.2.1.1 before IF7 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 CVE-2014-6145 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Cognos Business Intelligence server components, affecting multiple version streams including 10.1.x, 10.2.x, and their respective interim fix releases. This vulnerability specifically targets the server-side processing of URL parameters, creating a pathway for authenticated attackers to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content into the application's response handling mechanism. The flaw exists in the server's input validation and output encoding processes, where user-supplied URL parameters are not properly sanitized before being rendered in web responses, thereby enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code within the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires an authenticated user session within the IBM Cognos environment, which significantly reduces the attack surface compared to unauthenticated XSS flaws. However, this authentication requirement does not mitigate the severity of the impact, as attackers with valid credentials can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, data exfiltration, or privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation controls that fail to properly escape or encode special characters in URL parameters before they are processed and returned in web responses. This weakness allows attackers to inject malicious payloads that persist in the application's response handling, creating a persistent XSS vector that can affect any user who accesses the vulnerable application interface.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing IBM Cognos Business Intelligence platforms, particularly in enterprise environments where the system handles sensitive business intelligence data and user authentication. The impact extends beyond simple script injection, as attackers can potentially steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or extract confidential information from the business intelligence reports and dashboards. The vulnerability's presence in multiple version streams indicates a systemic issue within the IBM Cognos platform's security architecture, affecting various releases that were considered stable and secure. Organizations using these affected versions face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to business intelligence reports, and possible system compromise through session manipulation attacks.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-6145 primarily involve applying the appropriate interim fixes and service packs released by IBM to address the specific XSS vulnerability in the Cognos Business Intelligence server. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the relevant patches, specifically targeting the IF10, IF9, IF11, IF8, and IF7 releases depending on their current version. Additionally, implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms at the application level can provide additional defense-in-depth measures. Network segmentation and access controls should be reinforced to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect anomalous URL parameter patterns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which categorizes cross-site scripting as a fundamental web application security weakness, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter usage, specifically focusing on script injection methods that leverage web application vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies to provide additional protection against similar attack vectors, while conducting thorough security assessments to identify any other potential XSS vulnerabilities within their business intelligence environments.