CVE-2017-1219 in Tivoli Endpoint Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 123859.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1219 represents a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw within IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager, a widely deployed enterprise endpoint management solution. This weakness resides in the system's processing of XML data, where the application fails to properly validate and sanitize external entity references during XML parsing operations. The vulnerability specifically affects the web console component of Tivoli Endpoint Manager, which handles various XML-based communication protocols used for configuration management, policy enforcement, and endpoint reporting. Attackers can leverage this flaw by crafting malicious XML payloads that reference external resources or exploit internal system components, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive data or disrupting system operations through resource exhaustion attacks.
The technical exploitation of this XXE vulnerability follows standard attack patterns where malicious XML documents contain external entity declarations that reference remote servers or internal system files. When the vulnerable system processes such XML data, it resolves these external entities, potentially exposing internal network resources, file system contents, or system configurations to the attacker. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as the vulnerability can also enable denial of service conditions through excessive memory consumption when processing malformed XML entities. This particular flaw aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, a well-documented weakness that has affected numerous enterprise applications. The vulnerability demonstrates the classic characteristics of XXE attacks that have been catalogued in the OWASP Top Ten and are frequently mapped to ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories, highlighting the potential for unauthorized data access and exfiltration.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-1219 within enterprise environments can be severe, particularly given the privileged position that Tivoli Endpoint Manager holds in managing corporate endpoints and configurations. Organizations utilizing this management solution face potential exposure of sensitive endpoint data, including system configurations, user information, and potentially credentials stored within managed systems. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target the system from outside the corporate network without requiring prior authentication or access privileges, making it particularly dangerous for organizations with exposed web consoles. Memory consumption attacks can lead to system instability, service disruption, and potential system crashes that could impact business continuity operations. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager, with the specific impacted versions including those prior to 9.1.1.1, making widespread deployment across enterprise environments a significant concern. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of their risk assessment for enterprise management systems, particularly those with internet-facing components.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches released by IBM, which address the XXE vulnerability through proper XML parsing validation and entity restriction mechanisms. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to limit access to the Tivoli Endpoint Manager web console, particularly restricting external access to administrative interfaces. Input validation controls should be enhanced to prevent XML data from containing external entity declarations, and the system should be configured to disable external entity resolution during XML processing. Additionally, monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect suspicious XML processing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The implementation of web application firewalls and XML validation tools can provide additional protection layers against similar vulnerabilities. Security teams should also conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other applications or systems within their environment that might be susceptible to similar XXE attacks, as this class of vulnerability remains prevalent in enterprise applications and has been consistently documented in security frameworks and attack patterns.