CVE-2017-1608 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: 132928.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1608 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 where insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before rendering it within web pages. The flaw specifically enables attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code through input fields or parameters that are subsequently executed in the context of authenticated user sessions, creating a persistent threat vector within the application's trusted environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate sanitization of user inputs within the web application's rendering pipeline, which directly correlates to CWE-79 - Cross-site Scripting. The affected systems process user-provided data without sufficient validation or encoding, allowing malicious payloads to be stored and executed when other users view the affected content. This creates a server-side code injection scenario where attackers can manipulate the application's behavior through crafted input that bypasses normal security controls. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the context of authenticated sessions, meaning that successful exploitation can lead to privilege escalation and access to sensitive data within the trusted application environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution to encompass potential credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized access to quality management data. When authenticated users interact with compromised application components, their browser sessions become vulnerable to manipulation by attackers who can extract session tokens, login credentials, or other sensitive information from the victim's browser context. This threat model aligns with ATT&CK technique T1539 - Steal Web Session Cookie, where adversaries exploit web application vulnerabilities to obtain persistent access to user accounts. The vulnerability's exploitation can result in unauthorized modification of test cases, defects, and quality metrics within the lifecycle management system, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire quality assurance process and leading to business disruption.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation and output encoding controls to prevent unauthorized script injection, along with regular security updates and patches provided by IBM to address this vulnerability. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious payloads, implementing content security policies to restrict script execution, and conducting thorough security testing of user input handling mechanisms. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing security awareness training for administrators and developers to recognize potential injection vectors and maintain proper input sanitization practices. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and following secure coding practices to prevent similar issues in enterprise quality management platforms.