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Rational ClearcaseApplication · Ibm

CVE-2009-4357

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.1 or later.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
CQWeb (aka the web interface) in IBM Rational ClearQuest before 7.1.1 does not properly handle use of legacy URLs for automatic login, which might allow attackers to discover the passwords for user accounts via unspecified vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

The CQWeb (web interface) in IBM Rational ClearQuest versions before 7.1.1 fails to properly secure legacy URL-based automatic login mechanisms. This improper handling could allow attackers to discover user account passwords through unspecified vectors involving these legacy URLs.

MitigationUpgrade to IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.1 or later to obtain the fix for this vulnerability. Additionally, consider disabling legacy URL handling if not needed and monitoring for suspicious access patterns to legacy login endpoints.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Rational ClearcaseApplication
Affected:<= 7.1= 7.0.0.1= 7.0.0.2= 7.0.0.4= 7.0.1.1= 7.0.1.3
Rational ClearquestApplication
Affected:= 5.00= 5.20= 6.00= 6.10= 6.12= 6.13= 6.14= 6.15= 6.16= 7.0= 7.0.0.1= 7.0.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
None
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed ClearQuest version
    Check the ClearQuest client or server version by inspecting the product installation directory, registry entries, or running 'clearquest -version' if available in the command path. On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs for the installed version.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 5.00, 5.20, 6.00, 6.10, 6.12, 6.13, 6.14, 6.15, 6.16, 7.0, 7.0.0.1, or 7.0.1.
  2. Verify if CQWeb interface is enabled
    Check if the CQWeb web component is installed and running. Look for web server configuration files such as cqweb.xml orcqweb_config.xml in the ClearQuest installation directory under the web subfolder. Also verify if port 80/443 or a configured web port is listening for CQWeb requests.
    Affected if CQWeb is installed and accessible, and the ClearQuest version is in the affected list.
  3. Inspect legacy URL handling configuration
    Examine the CQWeb configuration files for legacy URL-based login parameters. Look for settings related to auto-login, legacy authentication, or URL-based user authentication in the web configuration files.
    Affected if Legacy URL-based automatic login mechanisms are enabled in the CQWeb configuration.
  4. Review access logs for legacy login endpoints
    Examine web server access logs (IHS/Apache or IIS logs where CQWeb is hosted) for unusual or repeated requests to legacy login URLs, especially those containing user credentials or authentication tokens in the URL string.
    Affected if Unusual access patterns to legacy login URLs are observed in the web server logs.

You are affected if CQWeb is enabled and your installed ClearQuest version is 7.1.0 or earlier (specifically 5.00 through 7.0.1 as listed), since the vulnerability exists in those versions due to improperly secured legacy URL-based automatic login mechanisms.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.1 or later to obtain the fix for this vulnerability. Additionally, consider disabling legacy URL handling if not needed and monitoring for suspicious access patterns to legacy login endpoints.

Fix this in Rational Clearcase Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-4357 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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