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Rational ClearquestApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-2164

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-17
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
61/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable 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
The Web client in IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.x before 7.1.2.7 and 8.x before 8.0.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and use the Site Administration menu to modify system settings, via a parameter-tampering attack.

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

The Web client in IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1.x before 7.1.2.7 and 8.x before 8.0.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions through HTTP parameter tampering, enabling unauthorized access to the Site Administration menu to modify system settings.

MitigationApply the vendor patches (7.1.2.7 for 7.1.x or 8.0.0.3 for 8.x). Additionally, implement server-side authorization validation to ensure users cannot manipulate parameters to access administrative functions beyond their assigned privileges.

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:= 7.1.1.1= 7.1.1.2= 7.1.1.3= 7.1.1.4= 7.1.1.5= 7.1.1.6= 7.1.1.7= 7.1.1.8= 7.1.2= 7.1.2.1= 7.1.2.2= 7.1.2.3

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
Single
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
None

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/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. Identify ClearQuest installation and version
    Locate the ClearQuest installation directory and check the version. On Windows, look in the installation path (typically C:\Program Files\IBM\Rational\ClearQuest) for a version file or check the CQ installer info. On Unix/Linux, check /opt/ibm/Rational/ClearQuest or the installation directory. Use the CQ command 'cqcmd version' or check the About dialog in the ClearQuest client.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of these: 7.1.1.1, 7.1.1.2, 7.1.1.3, 7.1.1.4, 7.1.1.5, 7.1.1.6, 7.1.1.7, 7.1.1.8, 7.1.2, 7.1.2.1, 7.1.2.2, 7.1.2.3, or any 8.x version before 8.0.0.3.
  2. Confirm Web client is enabled
    Check if the ClearQuest Web client (CQ Web) is deployed and accessible. Look for the Web application configuration in the application server (typically IBM WebSphere or Apache Tomcat) where ClearQuest Web is hosted. Verify the web.xml or deployment descriptors exist for the CQ Web application.
    Affected if The ClearQuest Web client is deployed and accessible to users on the network.
  3. Verify user role assignments for Site Administration
    Access the ClearQuest administration tools and review the role assignments for non-administrative users. Check which users or groups are assigned to roles that should not have Site Administration privileges. Inspect the user database or directory for role mappings.
    Affected if Non-administrative users have been assigned elevated roles or there are no enforced checks preventing parameter manipulation to access Site Administration functions.
  4. Test HTTP parameter tampering vector
    Using a web proxy or browser developer tools, log in as a regular (non-admin) user to the ClearQuest Web interface. Attempt to access the Site Administration menu by manipulating HTTP parameters (such as role, privilege, or menu ID parameters) in the request. Observe if unauthorized access is granted.
    Affected if A regular authenticated user can manipulate HTTP parameters to gain access to the Site Administration menu and modify system settings.

Your environment is affected if you run any ClearQuest version 7.1.1.1 through 7.1.2.3 or 8.x before 8.0.0.3, have the Web client enabled, and users can bypass access controls via HTTP parameter tampering to reach Site Administration functions.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the vendor patches (7.1.2.7 for 7.1.x or 8.0.0.3 for 8.x). Additionally, implement server-side authorization validation to ensure users cannot manipulate parameters to access administrative functions beyond their assigned privileges.

Fix this in Rational Clearquest Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2012-2164 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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