CVE-2014-0854
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 · uneditedThe server in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence (BI) 8.4.1, 10.1 before IF6, 10.1.1 before IF5, 10.2 before IF7, 10.2.1 before IF4, and 10.2.1.1 before IF4 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files via an XML document containing an external entity declaration in conjunction with an entity reference, related to an XML External Entity (XXE) issue.
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 confidenceIBM Cognos Business Intelligence server is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) injection. An authenticated attacker can submit a specially crafted XML document containing external entity declarations to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem due to improper parsing of XML entities.
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= 8.4.1= 10.1= 10.1.1= 10.2= 10.2.1= 10.2.1.1CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate IBM Cognos BI installationCheck common installation paths such as C:\Program Files\IBM\cognos\ or /opt/IBM/cognos/ on Linux. Look for the cognos.exe process or cognos web application files.Affected if IBM Cognos Business Intelligence server software is found on the system
-
Identify installed Cognos versionOpen the Cognos web portal and navigate to the About page (typically /cognos/about) or check the version.xml file in the installation directory under bi\webcontent\. Alternatively, check the installation logs or registry entries on Windows.Affected if Installed version matches 8.4.1, 10.1, 10.1.1, 10.2, 10.2.1, or 10.2.1.1
-
Verify XML import/upload functionality is accessibleLog into Cognos as an authenticated user and check if XML-based imports, report definitions, or data source configurations are available. Look for features that accept XML input such as report imports, model uploads, or XML data sources.Affected if XML import or upload features are available to authenticated users without additional security restrictions
-
Check XML parser configuration for external entity processingExamine the XML parser configuration files in the Cognos installation directory, particularly any configuration files that control the underlying XML processor. Look for settings related to entity resolution, DTD processing, or external entity enabling.Affected if External entity processing or DTD processing is explicitly enabled in the XML parser configuration
A user is affected if they run IBM Cognos BI versions 8.4.1 through 10.2.1.1 with XML import/upload functionality accessible to authenticated users and external entity processing enabled in the XML parser.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the appropriate IBM interim fixes (IF6 for 10.1, IF5 for 10.1.1, IF7 for 10.2, IF4 for 10.2.1/10.2.1.1) or upgrade to a patched version. Alternatively, disable external entity processing in the XML parser configuration.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-0854 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-0854 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data