CVE-2017-1278 in DOORS Next Generation
Summary
by MITRE
IBM DOORS Next Generation (DNG/RRC) 4.0, 5.0 and 6.0 is vulnerable to HTML injection. A remote attacker could inject malicious HTML code, which when viewed, would be executed in the victim's Web browser within the security context of the hosting site. IBM X-Force ID: 124756.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2020
IBM DOORS Next Generation RRC 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 contains a critical HTML injection vulnerability that represents a significant security risk for organizations utilizing this requirements management platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and specifically manifests as a reflected XSS flaw that allows attackers to inject malicious HTML code into the application's response. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the DNG/RRC application, particularly when processing user-supplied data that is subsequently rendered in web browser contexts without proper sanitization.
The technical flaw exists in the way the application handles user input that is subsequently displayed in web pages without adequate HTML escaping or sanitization. When a remote attacker crafts malicious input containing HTML or JavaScript code and submits it through the application's interface, the system fails to properly validate or encode this content before rendering it in the victim's browser. This allows the injected code to execute within the security context of the hosting site, potentially enabling attackers to perform actions such as stealing session cookies, modifying page content, or redirecting users to malicious websites. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the security boundaries of the legitimate application, making it difficult to distinguish between benign and malicious content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to compromise the entire web application and potentially escalate privileges within the DNG/RRC environment. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to sensitive requirements data, manipulate the application's functionality, or establish persistent access through session hijacking techniques. The vulnerability affects multiple versions of the IBM DOORS Next Generation platform, indicating a widespread issue that would impact organizations across various deployment scenarios. Organizations using this platform may face regulatory compliance issues, data breaches, and potential business disruption if this vulnerability is exploited in production environments.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and the implementation of Content Security Policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. The recommended approach involves ensuring that all user-supplied input is properly validated against whitelisted character sets and that all output is encoded using appropriate HTML escaping mechanisms before rendering. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious input patterns. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for initial access through spearphishing attachments and T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter for JavaScript execution. Regular security updates and patches from IBM should be applied immediately upon availability, while organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their DNG/RRC deployments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in related components.