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Rational Appscan SourceApplication · Ibm

CVE-2014-6120

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-04-12
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
IBM Rational AppScan Source 8.0 through 8.0.0.2 and 8.5 through 8.5.0.1 and Security AppScan Source 8.6 through 8.6.0.2, 8.7 through 8.7.0.1, 8.8, 9.0 through 9.0.0.1, and 9.0.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the installation server via unspecified vectors. IBM X-Force ID: 96721.

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

IBM Rational AppScan Source and Security AppScan Source contain an unspecified vulnerability allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands on the installation server. The vulnerability affects multiple versions across the 8.x and 9.x product lines, with a critical CVSS score of 9.8 indicating trivial exploitability and total compromise potential.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of IBM Rational AppScan Source or Security AppScan Source that addresses CVE-2014-6120. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to the application server and monitor for indicators of compromise.

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 Appscan SourceApplication
Affected:= 8.0.0.0= 8.0.0.1= 8.0.0.2= 8.5.0.0= 8.5.0.1
Security Appscan SourceApplication
Affected:= 8.6.0.0= 8.6.0.1= 8.6.0.2= 8.7= 8.7.0.1= 8.8= 9.0.0.0= 9.0.0.1= 9.0.1

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 if IBM AppScan Source is installed
    Look for installation directories such as C:\Program Files\IBM\Rational AppScan Source or C:\Program Files\IBM\Security AppScan Source on Windows, or /opt/IBM/Rational/AppScanSource on Linux/Unix. Check for running processes named 'AppScanSource' or related services.
    Affected if The product is installed in any version
  2. Determine the installed version
    Check the version by looking at the product's about dialog, version.txt file in the installation directory, or using the application's help > about menu. Common file locations include <install_dir>/version.txt or <install_dir>/Rational AppScan Source/lib/version.properties.
    Affected if Version cannot be determined or is in the 8.x/9.x line
  3. Verify the exact version matches affected list
    Compare your installed version to: Rational AppScan Source 8.0.0.0, 8.0.0.1, 8.0.0.2, 8.5.0.0, 8.5.0.1 OR Security AppScan Source 8.6.0.0, 8.6.0.1, 8.6.0.2, 8.7, 8.7.0.1, 8.8, 9.0.0.0, 9.0.0.1, 9.0.1
    Affected if Installed version exactly matches one of the listed affected versions
  4. Check if the application server is running and network-accessible
    Check if the AppScan Source service or server component is running and listening on network ports (default ports are typically 8080, 8443, or custom ports). Use netstat or similar tools to identify listening ports.
    Affected if The application server is running and exposed to network access

If IBM Rational AppScan Source or Security AppScan Source is installed with a version matching exactly 8.0.0.0 through 9.0.1 (specifically the listed versions) and the server component is running, the environment is affected by CVE-2014-6120.

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

Upgrade to a patched version of IBM Rational AppScan Source or Security AppScan Source that addresses CVE-2014-6120. If upgrading is not immediately feasible, restrict network access to the application server and monitor for indicators of compromise.

Fix this in Rational Appscan Source Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,840
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2014-6120 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data