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Rational ClearquestApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-0708

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-04-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Ole API in the CQOle ActiveX control in cqole.dll in IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.1 before 7.1.1.9, 7.1.2 before 7.1.2.6, and 8.0.0 before 8.0.0.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web page that leverages a RegisterSchemaRepoFromFileByDbSet function-prototype mismatch.

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 · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow in the CQOle ActiveX control (cqole.dll) in IBM Rational ClearQuest allows remote code execution via a crafted web page exploiting a RegisterSchemaRepoFromFileByDbSet function-prototype mismatch in the Ole API.

MitigationDisable or unregister the vulnerable CQOle ActiveX control in Internet Explorer, restrict browser access to untrusted sites, and upgrade to the patched versions (7.1.1.9, 7.1.2.6, or 8.0.0.2 or later).

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 ClearquestApplication
Affected:= 7.1.1= 7.1.1.1= 7.1.1.2= 7.1.1.3= 7.1.1.4= 7.1.2= 7.1.2.1= 7.1.2.2= 7.1.2.3= 7.1.2.4= 7.1.2.5= 7.1.2.6

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Check if IBM Rational ClearQuest is installed and identify its version
    Open Windows Registry and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\Rational ClearQuest\Install, or run 'clearquest -version' from the ClearQuest installation directory if available. Also check Add/Remove Programs for IBM Rational ClearQuest.
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.1.1.x (where x is 0-4) or 7.1.2.x (where x is 0-6), or if the version cannot be determined but ClearQuest is present.
  2. Locate the vulnerable cqole.dll file
    Search for cqole.dll in the ClearQuest installation directory, commonly found in paths like C:\Program Files\IBM\Rational\ClearQuest\ or C:\Rational\ClearQuest\. Use Windows Explorer search or command: dir /s C:\cqole.dll
    Affected if cqole.dll exists in a ClearQuest installation directory on the system.
  3. Verify the CQOle ActiveX control is registered
    Open Windows Registry and search for the CLSID associated with CQOle ActiveX control, typically found under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CQOle or search for 'CQOle' in the registry. Also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID for entries containing 'CQOle'.
    Affected if The CQOle ActiveX control is registered in the Windows registry (control is installed and can be invoked by Internet Explorer).
  4. Confirm the ActiveX control is marked safe for scripting in Internet Explorer
    Check Windows Registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CQOle\ScriptSafe or look for 'ScriptSafe' entries in the CQOle control's registry keys. Also check IE security settings for ActiveX controls marked as safe.
    Affected if The ActiveX control is registered and marked as safe for scripting, making it exploitable via malicious web pages.

If IBM Rational ClearQuest versions 7.1.1.x (0-4) or 7.1.2.x (0-6) are installed and the cqole.dll ActiveX control is present and registered, the system is vulnerable to remote code execution via malicious web pages.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable or unregister the vulnerable CQOle ActiveX control in Internet Explorer, restrict browser access to untrusted sites, and upgrade to the patched versions (7.1.1.9, 7.1.2.6, or 8.0.0.2 or later).

Recommended fix High confidence

ClearQuest 7.1.1.9 (or later 7.1.x), ClearQuest 7.1.2.6 (or later 7.1.2.x), or ClearQuest 8.0.0.2 (or later 8.0.0.x) depending on your version branch

  1. 1. Identify the currently installed IBM Rational ClearQuest version by checking Help > About in the ClearQuest client or using the cqversion command-line utility.
  2. 2. Based on the installed version line, upgrade to one of the fixed releases: ClearQuest 7.1.1.9 or later for the 7.1.1.x line, ClearQuest 7.1.2.6 or later for the 7.1.2.x line, or ClearQuest 8.0.0.2 or later for the 8.0.0.x line.
  3. 3. Obtain the appropriate fix from IBM Fix Central (https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/) by searching for the specific ClearQuest version and the CVE-2012-0708 fix.
  4. 4. Apply the fix by running the installer on all systems running the affected ClearQuest client components.
  5. 5. Restart any ClearQuest services and clients after applying the patch.
  6. 6. As a complementary mitigation, disable the CQOle ActiveX control in Internet Explorer by adding cqole.dll to the Internet Explorer ActiveX kill bit list in the Windows registry, or configure browsers to prompt before running ActiveX controls.
Caveat Upgrades between major ClearQuest version families may require schema compatibility verification; test thoroughly in a non-production environment before deploying broadly

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Rational Clearquest Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2012-0708 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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