dbcve.org
Cognos Business IntelligenceApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-0221

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-07-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Cognos TM1, as used in IBM Cognos Business Intelligence 10.2 before IF20, 10.2.1 before IF17, 10.2.1.1 before IF16, 10.2.2 before IF12, and 10.1.1 before IF19, allows remote authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via a crafted URL.

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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Cognos TM1 allows authenticated users to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via crafted URLs. The vulnerability exists due to improper input sanitization in the TM1 component, enabling malicious script execution in other users' browser sessions when they access the crafted URL.

MitigationApply the appropriate IBM interim fix (IF) for the specific Cognos BI version: IF20 for 10.2, IF17 for 10.2.1, IF16 for 10.2.1.1, IF12 for 10.2.2, or IF19 for 10.1.1. Implement proper output encoding and input validation as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Cognos Business IntelligenceApplication
Affected:= 10.1.1= 10.2= 10.2.1= 10.2.1.1= 10.2.2

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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 installed IBM Cognos BI version
    Locate the Cognos installation directory and check the version file or use the Cognos Configuration tool to view the installed version number. Common locations include the installation root directory or the Cognos BI web portal about page.
    Affected if The installed version matches 10.1.1, 10.2, 10.2.1, 10.2.1.1, or 10.2.2 exactly.
  2. Confirm TM1 component is installed
    Check if the TM1 (Transitional Management) component is present within the Cognos BI installation. Look for TM1-related directories, services, or check the Cognos Configuration for TM1 service entries.
    Affected if TM1 component is installed and available within the Cognos BI environment.
  3. Verify TM1 web interface is accessible
    Access the TM1 web interface or TM1/pmhub URL if configured. Confirm the service is running and accessible to authenticated users.
    Affected if The TM1 web interface is enabled and accessible to users.
  4. Check for applied IBM interim fixes
    Review the Cognos installation for applied interim fixes (IF). Check fix logs, the installation patches directory, or the Cognos BI about page which may list installed cumulative updates and fixes.
    Affected if The specific interim fixes (IF19 for 10.1.1, IF20 for 10.2, IF17 for 10.2.1, IF16 for 10.2.1.1, IF12 for 10.2.2) have not been applied.
  5. Review input validation configuration
    Examine TM1 configuration files for input validation or sanitization settings. Look for any custom security configurations related to URL parameter handling in TM1.
    Affected if Input validation is not properly configured or is missing default IBM security settings.

The environment is affected if IBM Cognos BI version matches 10.1.1, 10.2, 10.2.1, 10.2.1.1, or 10.2.2, the TM1 component is installed and accessible, and the corresponding interim fix has not been applied.

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 appropriate IBM interim fix (IF) for the specific Cognos BI version: IF20 for 10.2, IF17 for 10.2.1, IF16 for 10.2.1.1, IF12 for 10.2.2, or IF19 for 10.1.1. Implement proper output encoding and input validation as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Cognos Business Intelligence Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0221 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-0221 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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