CVE-2018-5437 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 unauthorized information disclosure. 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-2018-5437 affects multiple components within TIBCO Spotfire software ecosystem including the Spotfire Client, Web Player Client, and various platform deployments such as Analyst, Analytics Platform for AWS Marketplace, Automation Services, Deployment Kit, and Desktop applications. This vulnerability represents a significant security concern as it enables unauthorized information disclosure through multiple attack vectors across different software variants. The affected versions span from 7.8.0 through 7.12.0 across all listed components, indicating a widespread impact that affects both desktop and web-based implementations of the software. The vulnerability's presence in multiple deployment scenarios suggests a fundamental flaw in the software's security architecture rather than isolated component issues.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient access controls within the TIBCO Spotfire applications. Attackers can potentially exploit these weaknesses to gain access to sensitive data that should remain protected within the system. The vulnerability likely manifests through improper handling of user inputs or insufficient authentication mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to extract information from the system. This type of flaw commonly aligns with CWE-20, which addresses weak input validation, and CWE-284, which covers improper access control mechanisms. The attack surface is broad given that multiple client and server components are affected, providing attackers with various entry points to exploit the information disclosure vulnerability.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-5437 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it can potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as privilege escalation or lateral movement within networks where TIBCO Spotfire is deployed. Organizations using affected versions may experience unauthorized access to proprietary business intelligence data, customer information, or internal analytics that could be used for competitive advantage or malicious purposes. The vulnerability's presence across both desktop and web-based implementations means that organizations must consider multiple attack vectors when assessing their security posture. This information disclosure capability could lead to compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage, particularly in regulated industries where data protection is critical.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including applying available patches from TIBCO Software Inc. to upgrade to versions that address the identified vulnerabilities. Network segmentation and access controls should be enhanced to limit exposure of affected systems, while monitoring systems should be deployed to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK framework would likely map to T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage and T1005 for data from local system, indicating that attackers may use these techniques to extract sensitive information. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that all components within the TIBCO Spotfire environment are properly secured and that no additional vulnerabilities exist that could compound the risks associated with this particular flaw.