CVE-2016-6036 in Rational Quality Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Quality Manager (RQM) 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 are 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. IBM Reference #: 2000784.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2020
IBM Rational Quality Manager 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 inadequate 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 specifically manifests when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it in web pages, creating an environment where attackers can execute arbitrary scripts in the context of authenticated users' sessions. The vulnerability maps to CWE-79 Cross-site Scripting and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically targeting web-based execution environments.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it enables attackers to manipulate the application's intended behavior and potentially access sensitive information within trusted sessions. When authenticated users interact with maliciously crafted content, the injected JavaScript code can capture session cookies, credentials, or other sensitive data that the user has access to within the RQM application. This creates a significant risk for organizations relying on RQM for quality management and testing processes, as compromised sessions could lead to unauthorized access to test data, defect tracking information, and other confidential quality management resources. The vulnerability particularly affects scenarios where users with elevated privileges interact with potentially malicious content, as the attack could escalate to full system compromise.
Organizations utilizing these RQM versions should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates released by IBM to address this vulnerability. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious script injection attempts. Input validation should be strengthened across all user-facing interfaces, and output encoding should be implemented to prevent malicious content from being executed in the browser context. Security awareness training for users who interact with RQM should emphasize the dangers of clicking on untrusted links or opening suspicious attachments within the application environment. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against persistent threats targeting web-based enterprise applications. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically tailored to address cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in quality management systems.