CVE-2017-1666 in Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7 is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 133540.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1666 affects IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager versions 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7, representing a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw that exposes the system to significant security risks. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-611 category of XML External Entity Injection, which is classified as a serious weakness in applications that process XML data without proper input validation and sanitization. The affected IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager is designed to manage cryptographic key lifecycles and security operations, making it a critical component in enterprise security infrastructure that requires robust protection against such vulnerabilities.
The technical flaw in this vulnerability stems from the application's insufficient validation of XML input processing, allowing remote attackers to inject malicious XML entities that can reference external resources. When the system processes XML data containing external entity declarations, it fails to properly restrict access to local or remote resources, enabling attackers to perform various malicious activities including information disclosure and denial of service attacks. The XXE vulnerability specifically exploits the way XML parsers handle external entities, where attackers can craft XML payloads that reference external files or network resources, leading to unauthorized data access or resource consumption.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it allows remote attackers to exploit the system from outside the network perimeter without requiring authentication. Attackers can leverage this weakness to extract sensitive information from the system, potentially including cryptographic keys, user credentials, or other confidential data stored within the key management environment. Additionally, the vulnerability can be used to consume excessive memory resources through malicious entity references, leading to denial of service conditions that can disrupt key management operations and compromise system availability. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where key management systems are critical for maintaining security operations across multiple applications and services.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-1666 should focus on implementing proper XML input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the IBM Tivoli Key Lifecycle Manager environment. Organizations should ensure that XML parsers are configured to disable external entity resolution andDTD processing, which directly prevents the exploitation of XXE vulnerabilities. The recommended approach includes applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates, configuring the application to reject XML data containing external entity declarations, and implementing network-level controls to restrict access to the affected system. Security teams should also conduct regular vulnerability assessments and input validation testing to ensure that similar weaknesses do not exist in other components of the security infrastructure. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving command and control communications and credential access, making it a critical target for defensive measures and monitoring protocols to prevent unauthorized access to cryptographic key management systems.