CVE-2020-4377

IBM Cognos Anaytics 11.0 and 11.1 is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data

High · published August 3, 2020

CVSS v3.0
8.2
EPSS
2%
Percentile
81.3
In the wild
Unconfirmed
What it is

🚨 An XML External Entity Injection vulnerability lurks in IBM Cognos Analytics versions 11.0 and 11.1! A crafty attacker could sneak in malicious XML to snatch sensitive data or hog memory resources. 🔥 Think of it like a restaurant that accepts take-out orders without checking the menu; if a sneaky chef adds a few extra ingredients (like harmful scripts), the unsuspecting diner could end up with a very bad meal! With this vulnerability, an attacker could potentially access sensitive information, leading to data breaches or even a system crash due to resource exhaustion. This could have devastating effects on business operations and data integrity, so it's no small matter!

Put simply

Think of it like a restaurant that accepts take-out orders without checking the menu; if a sneaky chef adds a few extra ingredients (like harmful scripts), the unsuspecting diner could end up with a very bad meal! This vulnerability allows remote attackers to inject malicious XML content, which the system processes without proper validation. This can lead to unauthorized data access and exploitation of server resources.

What to do

With this vulnerability, an attacker could potentially access sensitive information, leading to data breaches or even a system crash due to resource exhaustion. This could have devastating effects on business operations and data integrity, so it's no small matter! To secure your system, update IBM Cognos Analytics to the latest version immediately. Additionally, ensure that XML parsing is configured to disable external entity processing to mitigate this risk. Regularly audit your systems for potential vulnerabilities. 🛡️ You've got this! By following these steps, you're on your way to securing your system and keeping the internet safe! ⚡

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.0
8.2 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.0/C:H/AC:L/PR:N/AV:N/I:N/S:U/UI:N/A:L/RC:C/E:U/RL:O
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.02077 · 81.3th percentile
Published
2020-08-03T12:35Z
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 03 AUG 12:35Z
    IBM Cognos Anaytics 11.0 and 11.1 is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data
    cvelistv5