CVE-2017-1621 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: 133088.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1621 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 compromises web application security. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically manifesting as a client-side code injection attack vector that enables malicious actors to execute arbitrary JavaScript within the context of a user's browser session. The flaw exists due to insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web user interface components, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts through user-controllable data fields.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability enables attackers to craft malicious payloads that exploit the application's failure to properly sanitize user inputs before rendering them in web pages. When legitimate users view web pages containing these malicious scripts, the JavaScript code executes within their browser context, potentially compromising the confidentiality and integrity of their session. This cross-site scripting vulnerability specifically targets the web interface components of the Rational Quality Manager and Collaborative Lifecycle Management platforms, creating opportunities for attackers to harvest session cookies, user credentials, and other sensitive information from authenticated sessions. The attack vector typically involves injecting malicious JavaScript through form fields, URL parameters, or other input mechanisms that are not properly validated or escaped before being rendered in the user interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited to establish long-term access to authenticated user sessions within the trusted application environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to perform session hijacking, credential theft, and unauthorized data manipulation within the Rational Quality Manager and Collaborative Lifecycle Management platforms. The compromised sessions may provide access to sensitive project data, test results, quality metrics, and other intellectual property stored within these systems. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely heavily on these quality management platforms for software development lifecycle tracking and collaboration, as the compromised systems could lead to significant business disruption and potential regulatory compliance violations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation, output encoding, and proper sanitization of all user-controllable data within the affected applications. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls, implementing strict content security policies, and ensuring all user inputs are properly escaped before rendering in web interfaces. Security patches and updates from IBM should be applied immediately to address the root cause of this vulnerability, while organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring and detection mechanisms to identify potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, as attackers may use this vulnerability to establish persistent access through credential theft and session manipulation. The mitigation strategies should include comprehensive security testing of web applications, regular vulnerability assessments, and implementation of security awareness training for users who interact with these quality management platforms.