CVE-2015-7471 in Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) 3.0.1 before 3.0.1.6 iFix7 Interim Fix 1, 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4; Rational Quality Manager (RQM) 3.0.x before 3.0.1.6 iFix7 Interim Fix 1, 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4; Rational Team Concert (RTC) 3.0.x before 3.0.1.6 iFix7 Interim Fix 1, 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4; Rational Requirements Composer (RRC) 3.0.x before 3.0.1.6 iFix7 Interim Fix 1 and 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10; Rational DOORS Next Generation (RDNG) 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4; Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager (RELM) 4.0.3, 4.0.4, 4.0.5, 4.0.6, and 4.0.7 before iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix1, and 6.0.x before 6.0.2; Rational Rhapsody Design Manager (Rhapsody DM) 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4; and Rational Software Architect Design Manager (RSA DM) 4.0.x before 4.0.7 iFix10, 5.0.x before 5.0.2 iFix15, and 6.0.x before 6.0.1 iFix4 allows remote authenticated users with project administrator privileges to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted project. IBM X-Force ID: 108429.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2021
This cross-site scripting vulnerability affects multiple IBM Rational software products including Collaborative Lifecycle Management CLM, Quality Manager RQM, Team Concert RTC, Requirements Composer RRC, DOORS Next Generation RDNG, Engineering Lifecycle Manager RELM, Rhapsody Design Manager Rhapsody DM, and Software Architect Design Manager RSA DM. The flaw exists in versions prior to specific iFix releases across multiple major versions, allowing authenticated attackers with project administrator privileges to inject malicious scripts into project data. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web application's handling of user-provided project content. Attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious project data containing script tags or other HTML elements that execute in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected project information.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages. When project administrators create or modify project data containing potentially malicious content, the system does not adequately escape or encode special characters that could be interpreted as HTML or JavaScript commands. This creates a persistent XSS vector where injected scripts execute in the victim's browser context with the privileges of the authenticated user. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires only project administrator privileges, which are often granted to trusted team members within development organizations, making it easier to exploit in real-world scenarios. The attack can be executed through project creation, modification, or comment submission processes where user input is rendered without proper sanitization.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it can enable attackers to perform various malicious activities including session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and privilege escalation. An attacker with project administrator access could inject scripts that steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify project data to compromise the integrity of the development lifecycle management processes. The vulnerability affects critical development tools used in software engineering workflows, potentially compromising the security of entire development teams and their intellectual property. Given that these products are widely used in enterprise environments for managing software development processes, a successful exploitation could lead to significant business disruption and data compromise. The persistent nature of the vulnerability means that once injected, malicious scripts continue to execute each time affected pages are loaded, providing ongoing attack surface for malicious actors.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant iFix patches released by IBM to address the specific versions affected by this vulnerability. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls such as content security policies, input validation at multiple layers, and regular security monitoring of project data modifications. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which describes cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1531 for 'Modify System Image' and T1566 for 'Phishing', as attackers could use this vulnerability to deliver malicious payloads through compromised project data. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their Rational software deployments and implement network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. Regular security training for project administrators about the dangers of injecting untrusted content and monitoring for unusual project modifications should also be implemented as part of comprehensive security measures.