CVE-2017-1485 in Cognos Analytics
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 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: 128623.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/10/2021
IBM Cognos Analytics version 11.0 contains a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security weakness in the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, where the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages. The flaw enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code through crafted input fields or parameters within the web application interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the web UI in ways that can compromise user sessions and potentially steal sensitive credentials. When users interact with the vulnerable application, any malicious script injected by an attacker can execute within the context of the user's session, leveraging the trust relationship between the user and the application. This creates an opportunity for session hijacking, credential theft, and other malicious activities that can persist as long as the user maintains their authenticated session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it can enable attackers to perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The vulnerability particularly affects the web-based administration and reporting interfaces of IBM Cognos Analytics, where users might enter data or navigate through various functional components. Attackers could exploit this weakness to create persistent backdoors, modify report configurations, or access sensitive business intelligence data that would normally be restricted to authorized personnel.
Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in relation to the ATT&CK framework's T1059.001 technique for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as the JavaScript injection can serve as a vector for executing malicious commands within the browser context. Additionally, the vulnerability aligns with T1531 for Account Access Removal and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers can use the compromised sessions to escalate privileges or redirect users to malicious sites. Organizations using IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper content security policies to prevent script injection attacks.
The recommended remediation strategy involves applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates as soon as they become available. Organizations should also implement web application firewalls and content security policies to add additional layers of protection against XSS attacks. Regular security testing and code reviews should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other components of the IBM Cognos Analytics suite. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures and proper input sanitization practices in enterprise reporting platforms where sensitive data is processed and displayed to multiple users.