CVE-2018-1910 in Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 6.0.6 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: 152734.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1910 affects IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versions 5.0 through 6.0.6, representing a critical cross-site scripting flaw that compromises the integrity of the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security weakness that occurs when an application incorporates untrusted data into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The flaw specifically manifests in the web user interface component of the Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager, creating an attack vector where malicious actors can inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's response.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability enables attackers to execute malicious scripts within the context of a victim's browser session, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information including user credentials and session tokens. This cross-site scripting vulnerability operates by failing to properly sanitize user input or output encoding in the web interface, allowing attackers to craft malicious payloads that are executed when other users view affected pages. The attack typically involves injecting script code through parameters or input fields that are not adequately validated before being rendered in the web interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can facilitate session hijacking and credential theft within trusted sessions. When users with valid authentication credentials access the vulnerable application, their sessions become susceptible to manipulation by attackers who can capture session tokens or credentials transmitted through the compromised interface. This creates a significant risk for organizations utilizing Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager, as the vulnerability can be exploited without requiring elevated privileges or specialized access to the underlying system infrastructure. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that the vulnerability affects multiple versions of the software, increasing the potential exposure across different organizational environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the application's web interface. Organizations should ensure that all user-supplied data is properly sanitized before being processed or displayed in the user interface, with particular attention to parameters that are used in dynamic content generation. The recommended approach includes implementing proper HTML encoding for all output that contains user-supplied data, along with comprehensive input validation that rejects or sanitizes potentially malicious content. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing content security policies to prevent execution of unauthorized scripts and ensure that the application follows secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and other industry standards. IBM has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided security fixes to protect their environments from exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures and the critical need for proper input validation in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive engineering and lifecycle management data.