CVE-2017-3181 in Spotfire
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple TIBCO Products are prone to multiple unspecified SQL-injection vulnerabilities because it fails to properly sanitize user-supplied input before using it in an SQL query. Exploiting these issues could allow an attacker to compromise the application, access or modify data, or exploit latent vulnerabilities in the underlying database. The following products and versions are affected: TIBCO Spotfire Analyst 7.7.0 TIBCO Spotfire Connectors 7.6.0 TIBCO Spotfire Deployment Kit 7.7.0 TIBCO Spotfire Desktop 7.6.0 TIBCO Spotfire Desktop 7.7.0 TIBCO Spotfire Desktop Developer Edition 7.7.0 TIBCO Spotfire Desktop Language Packs 7.6.0 TIBCO Spotfire Desktop Language Packs 7.7.0 The following components are affected: TIBCO Spotfire Client TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Client
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-3181 represents a critical SQL injection flaw affecting multiple TIBCO Spotfire products, demonstrating a fundamental failure in input validation and sanitization within the application's database interaction mechanisms. This weakness resides in the core data processing pipeline where user-supplied inputs are directly incorporated into SQL queries without proper sanitization, creating an exploitable pathway for malicious actors to manipulate database operations. The vulnerability impacts a broad range of TIBCO Spotfire components including Analyst, Connectors, Deployment Kit, Desktop applications, and Web Player clients, indicating a systemic issue across the product ecosystem that extends beyond simple user interface elements to encompass the underlying data processing infrastructure.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input that bypasses the application's input validation controls and gets directly embedded into SQL statements executed against the backend database systems. This flaw falls under the CWE-89 category of SQL Injection, where insufficient input sanitization allows attackers to manipulate database queries through crafted input parameters. The vulnerability's impact is particularly severe because it affects both client-side applications and web-based interfaces, creating multiple attack vectors that can be leveraged to compromise the entire data processing pipeline. Attackers can potentially extract sensitive data, modify database records, or even execute arbitrary commands on the underlying database server, depending on the privileges of the database user account.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-3181 extends beyond immediate data compromise to encompass potential system-wide breaches that could affect business intelligence operations and data integrity across organizations using TIBCO Spotfire platforms. Organizations relying on these applications for critical business analytics and reporting may face unauthorized data access, data corruption, or complete database compromise, which could lead to significant financial losses and regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability's presence in both desktop and web client components means that attackers can potentially exploit it through various attack surfaces, including web browsers, desktop applications, or even through API integrations with other systems. This multi-vector attack capability increases the overall risk profile and makes the vulnerability particularly challenging to defend against without comprehensive patching and input validation measures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-3181 should focus on immediate patch application from TIBCO to address the root cause of the vulnerability, combined with network-level protections and input validation controls. Organizations should implement proper parameterized queries and prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks, while also establishing robust monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1190 technique for exploitation of remote services, emphasizing the need for network segmentation and access controls to limit potential attack surfaces. Additionally, organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their TIBCO Spotfire implementations to identify any additional vulnerabilities that may exist in related components or configurations, ensuring comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors that could compromise their business intelligence infrastructure.