CVE-2017-1293 in Rational Quality Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 5.0 through 5.0.2 and 6.0 through 6.0.5 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 X-Force ID: 125154.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1293 affects IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management versions 5.0 through 5.0.2 and 6.0 through 6.0.5, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of these enterprise quality management platforms. This vulnerability resides in the web user interface components of the applications, where insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within the browser context. The flaw specifically manifests when the applications process and display user-provided content without adequate sanitization, creating an environment where malicious actors can inject malicious JavaScript code that executes within the context of authenticated user sessions.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of input fields or parameters that are subsequently rendered in the web interface without proper sanitization. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the vulnerable applications, execute JavaScript code within the browser of authenticated users. This cross-site scripting vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be leveraged to hijack user sessions, steal sensitive credentials, and potentially escalate privileges within the trusted session context. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, and represents a classic example of insecure input handling that violates fundamental web security principles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can lead to complete session compromise and unauthorized access to sensitive project data within the Rational Quality Manager environment. When authenticated users interact with the vulnerable application, their sessions become susceptible to manipulation by attackers who can execute malicious scripts that capture session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the authenticated user. The threat landscape for this vulnerability includes both automated scanning tools and targeted attacks where adversaries craft specific payloads to exploit the XSS flaw. This vulnerability particularly impacts organizations using these quality management tools for software development lifecycle management, where access to project data, test results, and quality metrics represents significant business value.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively, including immediate patching of affected systems to the latest available versions from IBM that contain the necessary security fixes. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional protection by filtering malicious requests before they reach the vulnerable application components. Input validation and output encoding mechanisms should be strengthened throughout the application to ensure all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before processing. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing defense-in-depth strategies and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering tactics including the use of malicious content to compromise systems. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the software development lifecycle ecosystem, while user education regarding suspicious content and behavior monitoring can help detect potential exploitation attempts.