CVE-2016-9987 in Jazz Foundation Reporting Service
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Jazz Foundation Reporting Service (JRS) 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. IBM X-Force ID: 120553.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-9987 affects IBM Jazz Foundation Reporting Service versions 5.0 and 6.0, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the security integrity of the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a fundamental web application security weakness that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users. The flaw exists within the reporting service component of IBM Jazz Foundation, which is commonly used for collaborative software development and project management activities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the application fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it within the web interface. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that contain JavaScript code and submitting them through the reporting service functionality. When other users view the affected web pages, the embedded scripts execute in their browser context, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive information. The vulnerability specifically targets the web user interface elements where report data is displayed, making it particularly dangerous for environments where multiple users access shared reporting dashboards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete session hijacking and credential theft within trusted browser sessions. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can capture authentication tokens, session cookies, or other sensitive data that would normally be protected by the browser's security model. This represents a significant threat to organizations using IBM Jazz Foundation, as the reporting service is typically accessible to various team members who may have elevated privileges within the development environment. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal privileges to execute and can be facilitated through social engineering or automated exploitation techniques.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data within the reporting service components. The recommended approach involves implementing proper sanitization of all web input fields and ensuring that any dynamic content rendered in the user interface is properly escaped to prevent script execution. Security teams should also consider implementing content security policies and web application firewalls to provide additional layers of protection. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for Establishing Persistence and T1566 for Phishing, as it can facilitate credential theft through malicious web content delivery. Organizations should also review their IBM Jazz Foundation configurations to ensure that unnecessary user privileges are not granted and that proper access controls are implemented to limit the potential impact of such an exploitation.