CVE-2024-28776 in Cognos Controller
Summary
by MITRE • 02/19/2025
IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and IBM Controller 11.1.0
is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2025
IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and 11.1.0 contain a cross-site scripting vulnerability that represents a critical security weakness in the web-based user interface. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security flaw that occurs when an application incorporates untrusted data into web pages without proper validation or encoding. The vulnerability specifically affects the web user interface components where user input is not adequately sanitized before being rendered back to the browser.
The technical flaw manifests when authenticated users can inject malicious JavaScript code through input fields or parameters within the Controller web application. This injection occurs due to insufficient output encoding and input validation mechanisms that fail to properly escape special characters in user-supplied data. When the application processes and displays this malicious input without proper sanitization, the embedded JavaScript executes within the context of the victim's browser session, effectively bypassing the browser's security restrictions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables attackers to perform session hijacking and credential theft within trusted sessions. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can steal session cookies, access sensitive financial data, and potentially escalate privileges within the Controller environment. The vulnerability creates a persistent threat vector that allows attackers to maintain access to the system even after the initial exploitation attempt, as the malicious scripts can capture authentication tokens and other sensitive information transmitted between the user and the application.
From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1531 for Account Access Removal and T1078 for Valid Accounts, as attackers can leverage stolen session information to maintain persistent access to financial reporting systems. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 for Phishing and T1213 for Data from Information Repositories, as it enables the extraction of sensitive business intelligence and financial data. Organizations using IBM Cognos Controller are particularly vulnerable since the application typically handles sensitive financial information and requires elevated privileges for access.
The recommended mitigations include immediate deployment of vendor patches and security updates provided by IBM to address the XSS vulnerability. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious code injection. Web Application Firewalls can provide additional protection layers, while regular security scanning and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities. Security teams should also implement proper session management practices, including secure cookie attributes and session timeout mechanisms. Additionally, user education and awareness programs should be established to prevent social engineering attacks that might exploit this vulnerability, as well as regular monitoring of web application logs for suspicious activities. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date security controls and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical financial reporting systems from sophisticated attack vectors.