CVE-2017-1793 in Rational Quality Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Quality Manager 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: 137038.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2023
IBM Rational Quality Manager versions 5.0 through 5.0.2 and 6.0 through 6.0.5 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security weakness in the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws in web applications, where the system fails to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering it in the web interface. The flaw allows authenticated users to inject malicious JavaScript code through input fields or parameters that are not adequately filtered or escaped, creating a persistent XSS vector within the application's web UI. The vulnerability specifically affects the authentication and session management mechanisms of the application, as attackers can leverage this weakness to steal session cookies or credentials from authenticated users who interact with maliciously crafted content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it enables attackers to manipulate the application's intended behavior and potentially escalate privileges within the trusted session. When a victim user loads a page containing malicious JavaScript code, the script executes in the context of their active session, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive data and functionality. This weakness creates a persistent threat vector where attackers can establish backdoors, modify test cases, manipulate quality metrics, or gain unauthorized access to other users' sessions. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where Rational Quality Manager is used for managing critical software quality processes and test management activities.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with several ATT&CK techniques including T1531 for credential access through session manipulation and T1213 for data from information repositories. IBM's own security advisory indicates that this vulnerability could be exploited by attackers who have already gained access to the system through other means, making it a valuable tool for privilege escalation and lateral movement within the enterprise network. The vulnerability affects both version 5.0 and 6.0 series, indicating it was present across multiple releases and likely represents a systemic issue in the application's input handling and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations using these versions should immediately implement mitigations to prevent exploitation and maintain the integrity of their quality management processes.
Mitigation strategies should include implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application's web interface, ensuring that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being rendered in the browser. Organizations should deploy web application firewalls and implement content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts. The recommended solution involves upgrading to patched versions of IBM Rational Quality Manager, as IBM has released security fixes addressing this specific vulnerability. Additionally, security awareness training for users who interact with the application should be implemented to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that might exploit this vulnerability. Network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect suspicious activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in web applications and serves as a reminder of the potential consequences when such controls are insufficient or missing entirely from enterprise software solutions.