CVE-2016-2926 in Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; Rational Quality Manager 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; Rational Team Concert 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; Rational DOORS Next Generation 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 4.x before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; Rational Rhapsody Design Manager 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3; and Rational Software Architect Design Manager 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix19, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix3 allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2022
This cross-site scripting vulnerability affects multiple IBM Rational products including Collaborative Lifecycle Management, Quality Manager, Team Concert, DOORS Next Generation, Engineering Lifecycle Manager, Rhapsody Design Manager, and Software Architect Design Manager across various versions. The flaw exists in the handling of user-supplied input within URL parameters, allowing authenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This represents a classic reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability where malicious payloads are embedded in URLs and executed when victims click on them, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling further attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the web application's URL parameter processing mechanisms. When users navigate to specially crafted URLs containing malicious script code, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape the input before rendering it in web pages. This allows attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the victim's browser context, potentially stealing session cookies, modifying page content, or redirecting users to malicious sites. The vulnerability specifically impacts versions prior to the mentioned iFix releases, indicating that IBM had identified and patched this particular input validation gap in their security updates.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking, data theft, and privilege escalation within the Rational suite. An authenticated attacker could craft malicious URLs that, when clicked by other users, would execute scripts to steal authentication tokens or manipulate application data. This threat is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where Rational tools are used for critical development and lifecycle management processes, as successful exploitation could compromise sensitive project data, intellectual property, and development workflows. The vulnerability affects the entire user base of affected products, making it a significant security risk for organizations relying on these platforms.
Organizations should immediately apply the relevant iFix updates provided by IBM to remediate this vulnerability, as these patches contain the necessary input validation and output encoding fixes. Security teams should also implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls to detect and block malicious URL patterns. Additional mitigations include implementing proper input validation at multiple layers, enforcing strict output encoding for all user-supplied data, and conducting regular security testing of web applications. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for scripting languages, emphasizing the need for comprehensive application security controls. Organizations should also review their privileged user access controls and implement monitoring for suspicious URL patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts.