CVE-2018-1606 in Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Jazz based applications (IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, IBM Rational Quality Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, IBM Rational Rhapsody Design Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, IBM Rational Software Architect Design Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.1, IBM Rational Team Concert 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6) could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information from an error message that could be used in further attacks against the system. IBM X-Force ID: 143796.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2023
This vulnerability affects IBM Jazz-based applications including collaborative lifecycle management, doors next generation, engineering lifecycle manager, quality manager, rhapsody design manager, software architect design manager, and team concert products across multiple versions. The flaw represents a classic information disclosure vulnerability where authenticated users can exploit error messages to extract sensitive system information that could aid in subsequent attacks. The vulnerability stems from insufficient error handling mechanisms within these enterprise collaboration platforms that fail to properly sanitize error outputs before presenting them to authenticated users. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, which specifically addresses "Information Exposure Through an Error Message," and falls under the broader category of information disclosure flaws that can provide attackers with valuable reconnaissance data.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the applications' failure to properly filter or mask sensitive data within error responses. When certain operations fail within the Jazz-based architecture, the system generates error messages that inadvertently expose internal system details, configuration information, or other sensitive metadata. These error messages may contain stack traces, database connection details, file paths, system configurations, or other operational information that would normally be restricted from user access. The authenticated nature of the exploit means that an attacker would need valid credentials to leverage this vulnerability, but once accessed, the information disclosure could provide significant advantages for privilege escalation or targeted attacks against the system infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information exposure as it creates opportunities for attackers to gather intelligence for more sophisticated attacks. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could use the disclosed information to craft more effective attacks against the application or underlying infrastructure. The exposure of system internals could enable attackers to identify specific versions, configurations, or implementation details that might be targeted by other vulnerabilities. This information disclosure creates a pathway for attackers to better understand the target environment and potentially identify additional weaknesses in the system architecture, making it a critical concern for enterprise security teams managing these collaborative platforms.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigation strategies that include proper error handling configuration, input validation improvements, and regular security assessments of their Jazz-based applications. The remediation approach should focus on ensuring that error messages do not contain sensitive information and that all error responses are properly sanitized before being presented to users. Security configurations should be reviewed to ensure that stack traces and system diagnostics are not exposed to authenticated users, while also implementing proper logging mechanisms to monitor for potential exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices outlined in frameworks such as the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity guidelines, particularly focusing on proper error handling and information protection measures. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues across their entire application portfolio.