CVE-2016-6032 in Rational Team Concert
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Team Concert 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/12/2020
IBM Rational Team Concert versions 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security flaw in the web-based user interface. This vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's web components, allowing malicious actors to inject malicious JavaScript code through user-controllable input fields. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, creating an environment where attackers can execute scripts in the context of authenticated users' sessions. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-79 - Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation, which directly maps to the well-known OWASP Top Ten category A03:2021 - Injection vulnerabilities. This cross-site scripting weakness specifically enables attackers to manipulate the web application's behavior by injecting client-side scripts that can capture user credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive information. The impact extends beyond simple data theft as the injected scripts can leverage the authenticated user's privileges to perform actions on their behalf, potentially leading to complete account compromise. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious input that gets reflected back in the web interface, where the JavaScript code executes in the victim's browser. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the trusted session context, meaning that any malicious script execution occurs with the same permissions and access rights as the legitimate user. This allows for sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting, session hijacking, or even privilege escalation within the Rational Team Concert environment. The attack surface includes various input points within the web UI where user data is processed, including but not limited to comments, work item descriptions, project names, and other editable fields. Organizations using these vulnerable versions face significant risk of unauthorized access to their development environments, potentially compromising source code, project data, and sensitive development artifacts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 - Account Access Removal, as successful exploitation can lead to unauthorized access to user accounts and their associated resources. Furthermore, this flaw contributes to the broader category of web application security issues that can undermine the integrity of development tools and collaboration platforms, potentially affecting the entire software development lifecycle. The lack of proper input sanitization and output encoding creates a persistent risk that can be exploited by attackers with minimal technical expertise, making it particularly concerning for enterprise environments that rely on Rational Team Concert for critical development processes. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official patches provided by IBM, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication to the application itself, making it a high-priority security concern for all users of these affected versions.
The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal effort from attackers, as it leverages common web application weaknesses that have been well-documented in security literature for decades. The affected versions of Rational Team Concert fail to implement proper security controls that would prevent such injection attacks, leaving organizations exposed to potential data breaches and unauthorized access to their development environments. The cross-site scripting vulnerability specifically targets the web interface components that handle user input, making it particularly dangerous in collaborative development environments where multiple users interact with shared projects and work items. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in web applications, as these controls form the foundation of protecting against injection-based attacks. The potential for credential disclosure makes this vulnerability especially severe, as it can lead to complete compromise of user sessions and access to sensitive development resources. Organizations should implement comprehensive security measures including web application firewalls, regular security assessments, and proper input validation controls to mitigate the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping enterprise development tools updated with the latest security patches, as outdated software represents one of the most common attack vectors in modern security breaches.