CVE-2019-4601 in Quality Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Quality Manager (RQM) 6.02, 6.06, and 6.0.6.1 could allow an authenticated user to obtain sensitive information from a stack trace that could aid in further attacks against the system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2024
IBM Quality Manager version 6.02, 6.06, and 6.0.6.1 contains a vulnerability that exposes sensitive information through stack trace data, creating potential attack vectors for malicious actors. This issue arises from insufficient error handling mechanisms within the application's response to authenticated user requests. When specific error conditions occur during processing, the system inadvertently returns detailed stack trace information to the requesting user. This behavior violates fundamental security principles by providing attackers with insights into the internal system architecture, component interactions, and potential weak points within the application's codebase. The vulnerability specifically relates to information disclosure through error responses, which aligns with CWE-209, a weakness that describes the exposure of system information through error messages. The stack trace data reveals internal implementation details including file paths, class names, method signatures, and potentially sensitive environmental configurations that could be leveraged by attackers to craft more sophisticated attacks against the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with actionable intelligence for subsequent exploitation attempts. An authenticated user with legitimate access to the system can trigger error conditions and observe the resulting stack traces, which may contain sensitive data such as database connection strings, internal service endpoints, or other confidential system parameters. This information can be used to develop targeted attacks against the application's underlying infrastructure or to identify additional vulnerabilities within the system. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to escalate their privileges or gain deeper insights into the system's security posture, potentially leading to more severe compromise scenarios. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques described in the ATT&CK matrix under the information gathering phase, where adversaries collect system information to plan further operations.
Security practitioners should implement comprehensive input validation and error handling mechanisms to prevent stack trace exposure in production environments. The recommended mitigation involves configuring the application to suppress detailed error messages and stack traces from being returned to users, instead logging these details internally for administrative review. Organizations should also establish proper error handling procedures that ensure only generic error messages are presented to end users while maintaining detailed logging for security operations teams. Regular security assessments should include testing for information disclosure vulnerabilities, particularly focusing on error response handling across all application components. System administrators should monitor application logs for unusual error patterns that might indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability, and implement proper access controls to limit who can trigger error conditions within the system. This vulnerability underscores the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to security standards such as those defined in the OWASP Top Ten project, which emphasizes the critical need for proper error handling to prevent information leakage that could aid in system compromise.