CVE-2015-0124 in Rational Quality Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Rational Quality Manager 2.x and 3.x before 3.0.1.6 iFix4, 4.x before 4.0.7 iFix3, and 5.x before 5.0.2 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/01/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-0124 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within IBM Rational Quality Manager versions 2.x through 5.x, prior to specific maintenance releases. This issue affects organizations utilizing IBM's quality management and test planning software, which is widely deployed in enterprise environments for managing software testing processes and quality assurance activities. The vulnerability resides in the application's handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters, creating a pathway for malicious actors to execute unauthorized code within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the IBM Rational Quality Manager application. When authenticated users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script payloads, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it in web pages. This allows attackers to inject arbitrary HTML and JavaScript code that executes in the browser context of legitimate users who access the affected application. The vulnerability specifically impacts URL parameters, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing emails, compromised web pages, or social engineering campaigns.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or session hijacking, as it enables attackers to perform a wide range of malicious activities within the application environment. Authorized users who visit maliciously crafted URLs could have their sessions hijacked, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive test data, modify test cases, manipulate quality metrics, or even escalate privileges within the application. The authenticated nature of the attack means that attackers do not need to compromise user credentials directly, as they can leverage existing valid sessions to execute malicious code. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on Rational Quality Manager for managing critical software quality processes, as it could compromise the integrity of test results and quality assurance data.
Organizations should immediately implement the vendor-provided patches and iFixes for affected versions, specifically targeting IBM Rational Quality Manager 3.0.1.6 iFix4, 4.0.7 iFix3, and 5.0.2 releases. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and input validation rules to detect and block suspicious URL patterns. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual user behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and represents a significant concern under the ATT&CK framework's web application attack patterns. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Rational Quality Manager deployments to identify any additional attack surfaces or related vulnerabilities that might compound the risk associated with this XSS flaw.