CVE-2017-1561 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

A cross-site scripting vulnerability has been identified in IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management versions 5.0 to 5.0.2, as well as 6.0 to 6.0.5, allowing the insertion of arbitrary JavaScript code into the Web User Interface.

Understanding CVE-2017-1561

This CVE involves a security flaw in IBM products that could potentially compromise user sessions and expose sensitive information.

What is CVE-2017-1561?

CVE-2017-1561 is a cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management versions 5.0 to 5.0.2 and 6.0 to 6.0.5.

The Impact of CVE-2017-1561

The vulnerability enables users to inject malicious JavaScript code into the Web UI, leading to potential exposure of confidential credentials during trusted sessions.

Technical Details of CVE-2017-1561

This section provides more in-depth technical information about the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows attackers to insert arbitrary JavaScript code into the Web User Interface, compromising the original functionality and potentially exposing confidential credentials.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Rational Quality Manager
Versions: 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5
Product: Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management
Versions: 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven
Scope: Changed
Vector String: CVSS:3.0/A:N/AC:L/AV:N/C:L/I:L/PR:L/S:C/UI:R/E:U/RC:C/RL:O

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from this vulnerability requires immediate actions and long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply official fixes provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
Educate users about the risks of executing arbitrary JavaScript code.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to prevent vulnerabilities.
Implement secure coding practices to mitigate cross-site scripting risks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure all affected versions of IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management are updated with the latest security patches.