CVE-2021-29831 in Jazz for Service Management
Summary
by MITRE • 09/21/2021
IBM Jazz for Service Management 1.1.3.10 and IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus_GUI is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 204775.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2021-29831 affects IBM Jazz for Service Management 1.1.3.10 and IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus_GUI systems, representing a critical XML External Entity Injection flaw that exposes these platforms to significant security risks. This vulnerability resides in the XML processing mechanisms of these enterprise service management tools, which are widely deployed in enterprise environments for monitoring and managing complex IT infrastructures. The flaw allows malicious actors to manipulate XML data processing workflows, potentially compromising the confidentiality and availability of sensitive organizational data.
The technical implementation of this XXE vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation within the XML parsers used by these IBM products. When the systems process XML data containing external entity references, they fail to properly restrict access to external resources, enabling attackers to craft malicious XML payloads that can trigger unauthorized data access patterns. This weakness aligns with CWE-611, which specifically addresses XML external entity injection vulnerabilities, and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices for XML processing. The vulnerability manifests when the application's XML parser resolves external entity references without adequate sanitization, creating pathways for information disclosure and resource exhaustion attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables sophisticated attack vectors that can compromise entire enterprise monitoring infrastructures. Attackers can leverage this flaw to access sensitive configuration data, user credentials, and system information stored within the affected systems. The memory consumption aspect of this vulnerability presents particular concern for enterprise environments where these tools operate as critical infrastructure components, as excessive resource utilization could lead to denial of service conditions affecting business operations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can target these systems from outside the organization's network perimeter without requiring privileged access or physical presence.
Organizations utilizing these IBM products must implement immediate mitigations to address this vulnerability, including disabling external entity resolution in XML parsers, implementing proper input validation controls, and restricting network access to affected systems. The recommended approach involves configuring XML parsers to reject external entity references entirely, which directly addresses the root cause identified in CWE-611. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules should be enforced to limit access to these systems from untrusted networks, following principles established in the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to ensure that similar weaknesses do not exist in other components of the enterprise infrastructure, as this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper XML processing controls in enterprise service management platforms.