CVE-2017-1690 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: 134065.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-1690 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 integrity of these enterprise quality management platforms. This vulnerability resides within the web user interface components of the software, creating an attack vector that enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's interface. The flaw specifically manifests when user-supplied input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to the browser, allowing attackers to manipulate the intended functionality of the application through crafted malicious payloads.
The technical implementation of this cross-site scripting vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the web application's rendering pipeline. When legitimate users interact with the platform's interface, particularly through forms or data entry points, the application fails to adequately sanitize user-provided content before displaying it to other users. This omission creates an environment where JavaScript code can be executed in the context of other users' sessions, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that should protect authenticated users. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires no special privileges to exploit, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by attackers who gain access to any user account within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple functionality alteration, as it provides attackers with the capability to steal session cookies and potentially access sensitive data within trusted user sessions. When a victim user views a page containing malicious JavaScript code injected by an attacker, the script executes in their browser context, allowing for credential theft, session hijacking, and unauthorized data access. This threat model aligns with the CWE-79 classification for Cross-site Scripting vulnerabilities, which specifically addresses the injection of executable code into web applications. The attack can be executed through various vectors including email links, file uploads, or direct input fields within the application, making it difficult to fully mitigate without comprehensive input validation controls.
Organizations utilizing these IBM Rational products face significant security risks from this vulnerability, as it undermines the trust model that should exist between the application and its users. The potential for credential disclosure represents a severe compromise of the authentication system, particularly since the affected applications are typically used in enterprise environments where sensitive quality management data and development processes are handled. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges, access restricted functionality, or exfiltrate confidential information from quality management processes. The IBM X-Force ID 134065 associated with this vulnerability indicates the severity level and provides additional context for security professionals evaluating the risk within their environments. Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing comprehensive input sanitization, output encoding, and proper content security policies to prevent the execution of unauthorized JavaScript code within the application's interface.
The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches in enterprise software environments. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through official IBM security updates and consider implementing additional security controls such as web application firewalls and enhanced monitoring of user session activities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under the 'Web Application Attack' domain, specifically relating to techniques that leverage application-level flaws to gain unauthorized access to user sessions. Security teams should also implement regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify similar injection flaws within their software ecosystems, as cross-site scripting vulnerabilities often indicate broader input validation weaknesses that may affect other components of the application infrastructure.