CVE-2017-1157 in Jazz Reporting Service
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Jazz Reporting Service (JRS) 5.0 and 6.0 could allow an authenticated attacker to access report data that should be restricted to authorized users. IBM X-Force ID: 122788.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/30/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1157 affects IBM Jazz Reporting Service versions 5.0 and 6.0, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the security posture of enterprise reporting systems. This issue manifests as an insufficient authorization mechanism that permits authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions and obtain sensitive report data that should be limited to authorized personnel only. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user permissions within the reporting service's access control framework, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and unauthorized data exposure.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves weaknesses in the authentication and authorization processes that govern report access within the JRS environment. Attackers who have obtained valid credentials can exploit this vulnerability to access reports that contain confidential business intelligence, operational metrics, or other sensitive information typically restricted to specific user roles or groups. The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges beyond standard authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by insiders or compromised legitimate users. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates inadequate separation of concerns within the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, potentially compromising business continuity and regulatory compliance. Organizations relying on JRS for mission-critical reporting may face significant risks including competitive disadvantage through unauthorized access to strategic business data, regulatory violations if sensitive information is exposed, and potential legal consequences from data breaches. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the entire reporting ecosystem, as unauthorized access to reports can lead to data manipulation, false reporting, or the exposure of system vulnerabilities through detailed analysis of restricted data sets. This weakness can be particularly damaging in regulated industries where access control and data protection are mandatory requirements.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-1157 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from IBM, which addresses the underlying authorization validation issues in the reporting service. Organizations should implement comprehensive access control reviews to ensure proper user role assignments and permissions, while also establishing monitoring protocols to detect unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 which addresses improper access control, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1005 for data from local system. Additional defensive measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to the reporting service, enforcing multi-factor authentication for privileged accounts, and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar authorization flaws. Organizations should also consider implementing data loss prevention solutions that can monitor and control access to sensitive report data, ensuring that the remediation efforts are comprehensive and address both immediate threats and potential future vulnerabilities in similar systems.