CVE-2018-1846 in Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 5.0.2 and 6.0 through 6.0.6 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: 150945.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1846 affects IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versions 5.0 through 5.0.2 and 6.0 through 6.0.6, representing a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw that exposes the system to significant security risks. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-611 category of XML External Entity Injection, which occurs when an application processes untrusted XML data without proper validation or sanitization of external entity references. The flaw exists in the XML processing mechanisms of the engineering lifecycle management platform, where the system fails to adequately restrict external entity resolution during XML parsing operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows remote attackers to craft malicious XML payloads that trigger the application's XML parser to resolve external entities and access local resources. When the system processes such malformed XML data, it can inadvertently fetch and process external references that point to internal network resources, file systems, or sensitive configuration files. This behavior enables attackers to perform information disclosure attacks by retrieving system files or to conduct denial of service attacks through memory exhaustion via recursive entity references. The XXE vulnerability specifically targets the XML parsing libraries used by the application, bypassing normal access controls and privilege mechanisms that would otherwise protect sensitive system components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential system compromise and resource exhaustion. Attackers can leverage this flaw to gain unauthorized access to internal system files, configuration data, or database credentials stored within the application's environment. The memory consumption aspect of the vulnerability presents a particular concern for enterprise environments where resource exhaustion attacks could lead to service disruption or system instability. Additionally, the vulnerability affects multiple versions of the Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager, indicating a widespread exposure across the product line that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams responsible for software asset management.
Mitigation strategies for this XXE vulnerability should focus on implementing proper XML parser configuration and input validation controls. Organizations should disable external entity resolution in all XML processing components and implement strict input validation to prevent malicious XML data from being processed. The recommended approach includes configuring XML parsers to reject external entity declarations and using secure XML processing libraries that enforce proper validation. Security teams should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of vulnerable systems, while monitoring for suspicious XML processing activities. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002 for Data from Information Repositories and T1499.004 for Endpoint Denial of Service, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security measures that address both information disclosure and availability concerns. Regular vulnerability assessments and security updates should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future versions of the software.