CVE-2018-1588 in Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Jazz Foundation (IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6) 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: 143501.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1588 represents a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw within IBM Jazz Foundation components, specifically affecting IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versions 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6. This weakness resides in the XML processing mechanisms that fail to properly validate and sanitize external entity references, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the application's XML parser behavior. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and the lack of proper XML parser configuration that would prevent the resolution of external entities during data processing operations.
The technical exploitation of this XXE vulnerability enables attackers to craft malicious XML payloads that reference external resources or internal system files through external entity declarations. When the vulnerable IBM Jazz Foundation components process such malformed XML data, the XML parser attempts to resolve these external references, potentially leading to information disclosure through file inclusion attacks or resource exhaustion via excessive memory consumption. The attack vector is remote and does not require authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited from any network location without prior access credentials. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-611, which categorizes XML External Entity Processing vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can result in significant resource consumption that may lead to denial of service conditions within the Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager environment. Attackers can leverage this weakness to consume excessive memory resources through recursive entity references or to access sensitive system files that contain authentication credentials, configuration data, or other confidential information. The affected IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versions are widely used in enterprise software development and lifecycle management processes, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for organizations that rely on these tools for critical development workflows. Organizations utilizing these versions may experience unauthorized data access, system performance degradation, and potential disruption of software development operations.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1588 should prioritize immediate patch application from IBM, as the vendor has released security updates addressing this specific vulnerability. Organizations should also implement XML parser hardening measures including disabling external entity resolution, configuring proper input validation for all XML processing components, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure of affected systems. Additional protective measures include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious XML payloads, conducting regular security assessments of XML processing components, and establishing monitoring procedures to detect unusual resource consumption patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. Network administrators should also consider implementing access controls that restrict direct network access to the affected IBM Jazz Foundation services and regularly review system logs for potential exploitation indicators. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing robust input validation practices across all XML processing systems within enterprise environments.