CVE-2018-1929 in Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 6.0.6 could allow a malicious user to be allowed to view any view if he knows the URL link of a the view, and access information that should not be able to see. IBM X-Force ID: 153120.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2023
This vulnerability resides within IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager version 5.0 through 6.0.6, representing a critical access control flaw that undermines the system's security posture. The issue manifests as an insufficient authorization check that permits unauthorized users to access restricted views through simple knowledge of URL paths. This weakness enables attackers to bypass normal authentication mechanisms and obtain sensitive information that should remain protected within the system's access control framework.
The technical implementation flaw stems from inadequate validation of user permissions when processing requests for specific views within the application. When a user attempts to access a particular view through its URL, the system fails to properly verify whether the requesting user possesses the necessary authorization level to view that specific content. This oversight creates a direct path for privilege escalation where malicious actors can enumerate or guess view URLs and subsequently access information they should not be authorized to see.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to organizations utilizing IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager for managing software development processes and engineering data. The exposure of restricted views could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive project information, design documents, requirements specifications, and other proprietary engineering data that should remain confidential. Such information disclosure could compromise competitive advantages, expose intellectual property, and potentially facilitate further attacks against the organization's development infrastructure.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses insufficient authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering approaches. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches, reviewing and strengthening access control policies, and implementing additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. Network segmentation and web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection while the system is being updated. Regular security assessments and user access reviews should be conducted to ensure proper enforcement of authorization controls and prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in other components of the engineering lifecycle management platform.