CVE-2018-1727 in InfoSphere Information Server
Summary
by MITRE
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 9.1, 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7 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: 147630.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1727 represents a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw within IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 9.1, 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-611, which specifically addresses XML external entity injection attacks that can occur when applications process untrusted XML data without proper input validation. The flaw exists in the XML processing mechanisms of the information server platform, creating an exploitable condition where malicious XML content can be crafted to reference external resources or perform unauthorized operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows a remote attacker to manipulate the XML parser behavior by including external entity declarations within crafted XML payloads. When the system processes such malformed XML data, the parser resolves external entity references, potentially leading to information disclosure through retrieval of local files, network-based resource consumption, or even denial of service conditions. The attack vector requires the adversary to submit specially crafted XML content to the vulnerable server, which then processes this content through the affected XML parsing components without adequate sanitization or validation controls.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations relying on IBM InfoSphere Information Server for data integration and management tasks. The potential for sensitive information exposure includes access to internal system files, database credentials, or other confidential data stored within the server environment. Additionally, the memory consumption aspect of the vulnerability could lead to system performance degradation or complete service disruption, particularly if attackers craft malicious payloads designed to trigger resource exhaustion conditions. The widespread adoption of these InfoSphere versions across enterprise environments amplifies the potential impact of this vulnerability.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including disabling external entity processing in XML parsers, implementing strict input validation controls, and applying the vendor-provided security patches released for this vulnerability. The mitigation strategy should also incorporate network-level controls such as firewall rules that restrict access to XML processing endpoints and implement proper XML schema validation. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability aligns with technique T1213 (Data from Information Repositories) and T1499 (Endpoint Denial of Service), emphasizing the dual nature of the threat as both information disclosure and availability compromise. Regular security assessments and input validation testing should be conducted to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other components of the information server ecosystem, as the XXE attack pattern remains prevalent in enterprise applications processing external data inputs.