CVE-2018-5435 in Spotfire Web Player Client
Summary
by MITRE
The TIBCO Spotfire Client and TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Client components of TIBCO Software Inc.'s ; TIBCO Spotfire Analyst, TIBCO Spotfire Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace, TIBCO Spotfire Automation Services, TIBCO Spotfire Deployment Kit, TIBCO Spotfire Desktop, and TIBCO Spotfire Desktop Language Packs contain multiple vulnerabilities that may allow for remote code execution. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO Spotfire Analyst: versions up to and including 7.8.0; 7.9.0; 7.9.1; 7.10.0; 7.10.1; 7.11.0; 7.12.0, TIBCO Spotfire Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace: versions up to and including 7.12.0, TIBCO Spotfire Automation Services: versions up to and including 7.12.0, TIBCO Spotfire Deployment Kit: versions up to and including 7.8.0; 7.9.0;7.9.1;7.10.0;7.10.1;7.11.0; 7.12.0, TIBCO Spotfire Desktop: versions up to and including 7.8.0; 7.9.0; 7.9.1; 7.10.0; 7.10.1; 7.11.0;7.12.0, TIBCO Spotfire Desktop Language Packs: versions up to and including 7.8.0; 7.9.0; 7.9.1; 7.10.0; 7.10.1; 7.11.0.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-5435 represents a critical remote code execution flaw affecting multiple components within TIBCO Spotfire software ecosystem. This vulnerability impacts the TIBCO Spotfire Client and TIBCO Spotfire Web Player Client components across various product variants including Spotfire Analyst, Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace, Automation Services, Deployment Kit, and Desktop applications. The affected versions span from 7.8.0 through 7.12.0 across all supported releases, creating a substantial attack surface that could potentially compromise entire analytical environments. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and sanitization mechanisms within the software's processing pipelines, particularly when handling user-supplied data in the client-side components.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of data processing flows within the Spotfire client applications, where insufficient validation allows malicious inputs to bypass security controls and execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This flaw operates at the application layer and can be triggered through various vectors including malformed data files, crafted web requests, or manipulated configuration parameters. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the widespread deployment of TIBCO Spotfire across enterprise environments where analysts and business users frequently interact with potentially untrusted data sources. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, or exfiltrate sensitive analytical data, making it particularly dangerous for organizations relying on Spotfire for business intelligence and data analysis.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer) and CWE-94 (Improper Control of Generation of Code) classifications, representing a classic buffer overflow and code injection scenario. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1106 (Native API) techniques, as exploitation would likely involve executing native system commands and leveraging Windows API calls. Organizations utilizing affected Spotfire versions face significant operational risks including potential data breaches, system compromise, and disruption of analytical workflows. The vulnerability's remote execution capability means that attackers need not have physical access to target systems, making it particularly attractive for automated exploitation campaigns.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates, implementing network segmentation to limit access to Spotfire components, and deploying intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts. Additional protective measures include disabling unnecessary client-side functionality, implementing strict input validation policies, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all Spotfire deployments. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to include potential regulatory compliance issues, as many industries have strict requirements for protecting analytical data and preventing unauthorized access to business intelligence systems. Regular security monitoring and vulnerability assessment programs should be enhanced to detect similar weaknesses in other enterprise applications and prevent cascading security incidents across interconnected systems.