CVE-2018-1702 in Platform Symphony
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Platform Symphony 7.1 Fix Pack 1 and 7.1.1 and IBM Spectrum Symphony 7.1.2 and 7.2.0.2 are 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: 146189.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1702 affects IBM Platform Symphony versions 7.1 Fix Pack 1 and 7.1.1, as well as IBM Spectrum Symphony versions 7.1.2 and 7.2.0.2, representing a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw that enables remote attackers to manipulate XML processing mechanisms. This vulnerability resides within the XML data handling components of these enterprise computing platforms, which are designed to manage large-scale distributed computing environments and orchestrate complex workloads across multiple nodes. The flaw specifically manifests when the software processes XML input without proper validation or sanitization of external entity references, creating an attack surface that can be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to system resources.
The technical implementation of this XXE vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the XML parser configuration, allowing attackers to craft malicious XML payloads that reference external entities or resources. When the system processes such malformed XML data, it can be induced to resolve external references, potentially leading to information disclosure through the retrieval of internal system files, network service enumeration, or even remote code execution in certain configurations. The attack vector requires no authentication and can be executed remotely, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where these platforms typically operate with elevated privileges and access to sensitive organizational data. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-611, which specifically addresses improper restriction of XML external entity reference, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for data from information repositories, as attackers can extract sensitive information from the affected systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it can lead to resource exhaustion through memory consumption attacks that leverage the XML processing mechanisms. Attackers can craft XML payloads that cause the system to consume excessive memory resources, potentially leading to denial of service conditions that disrupt legitimate business operations. The affected platforms typically handle critical enterprise workloads including batch processing, scientific computing, and distributed data processing tasks, making any disruption particularly damaging to organizational operations. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of these systems, as XML processing is fundamental to configuration management, job submission, and inter-system communication within the Symphony platform architecture.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1702 require immediate implementation of XML parser hardening measures, including disabling external entity resolution and setting strict parsing limits on XML input. Organizations should apply the vendor-provided security patches and updates released by IBM to address this vulnerability, while also implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure. Security configurations should enforce strict XML validation rules and disable any unnecessary XML processing features that could enable external entity resolution. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other systems that might be running affected versions of the Symphony platform, as the vulnerability affects multiple product versions within the IBM Spectrum Symphony family. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patched systems to ensure that legitimate XML processing functionality remains intact while eliminating the security risk.