CVE-2018-1758 in Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 6.0 through 6.0.6.1 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 148605.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1758 affects IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management versions 6.0 through 6.0.6.1, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the security integrity of the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-79, which specifically addresses cross-site scripting weaknesses in web applications. The flaw enables malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's web interface, fundamentally undermining the trust model that should exist between legitimate users and the system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's web UI components. When users submit data through web forms or interact with dynamic content, the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user-supplied input before rendering it back to the browser. This allows attackers to craft malicious payloads that execute within the context of authenticated sessions, potentially exploiting the trust relationship between the user and the application. The vulnerability specifically targets the web user interface components where user-generated content is displayed without adequate security controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, creating significant risks for organizations utilizing IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management for their software development lifecycle processes. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can hijack user sessions, potentially gaining access to sensitive development artifacts, source code repositories, and confidential project information. The credential disclosure risk becomes particularly severe because the malicious JavaScript code executes within the context of a trusted session, allowing unauthorized access to systems that should only be accessible to legitimate users. This threat model aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531, which focuses on use of valid credentials for unauthorized access.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including input validation controls, output encoding mechanisms, and comprehensive security testing of web interfaces. The recommended approach involves deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious script injection attempts, implementing proper content security policies to restrict script execution, and conducting regular security assessments of the application's input handling mechanisms. Additionally, administrators should consider upgrading to patched versions of IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management, as IBM has addressed this vulnerability in subsequent releases through enhanced input sanitization and improved output encoding controls. The security controls should also include monitoring for suspicious user activities and implementing multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of session hijacking attacks that could result from this vulnerability.