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Rational Software Architect Design ManagerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-0284

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-24
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
60/100
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 XML parser in IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management 3.0.1.6 before iFix8, 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; Rational Quality Manager 3.0.1.6 before iFix8, 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; Rational Team Concert 3.0.1.6 before iFix8, 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; Rational DOORS Next Generation 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 4.x before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; Rational Rhapsody Design Manager 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5; and Rational Software Architect Design Manager 4.0 before 4.0.7 iFix11, 5.0 before 5.0.2 iFix18, and 6.0 before 6.0.2 iFix5 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary files or cause a denial of service 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 confidence

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the XML parser of IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management and related products. The parser processes external entity declarations in XML documents without proper restrictions, allowing authenticated remote users to read arbitrary files from the server filesystem or cause denial of service by referencing external entities.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied iFix patches (iFix8 for 3.0.1.6, iFix11 for 4.0.x, iFix18 for 5.0.x, iFix5 for 6.0.x) to disable external entity processing in the XML parser, or programmatically configure the XML parser to disable DTD processing and external 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
Rational Software Architect Design ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 6.0.0
Rational Collaborative Lifecycle ManagementApplication
Affected:= 3.0.1.6= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2
Rational Team ConcertApplication
Affected:= 3.0.1.6= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2
Rational Quality ManagerApplication
Affected:= 3.0.1.6= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2
Rational Doors Next GenerationApplication
Affected:= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 6.0.0
Rational Engineering Lifecycle ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.0.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 6.0.0
Rational Rhapsody Design ManagerApplication
Affected:= 4.0= 4.0.1= 4.0.2= 4.0.3= 4.0.4= 4.0.5= 4.0.6= 4.0.7= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.0.2= 6.0.0

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
Low

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

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 Rational product
    Check the application server or installed programs for IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management, Rational Team Concert, Rational Quality Manager, Rational Doors Next Generation, Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager, Rational Rhapsody Design Manager, or Rational Software Architect Design Manager. Look in the installation directory or use system inventory tools.
    Affected if Any of these products are installed on the server
  2. Check product version
    Locate the version information in the product installation directory, typically in a version.txt file, about panel, or administrative console. For CLM products, access the About section in the web UI.
    Affected if The version matches any of these: 3.0.1.6, 4.0 through 4.0.7, 5.0 through 5.0.2, or 6.0.0 for the listed products
  3. Identify XML import or upload features
    Review the web application's available features for XML import, upload, or data integration capabilities. Check REST API endpoints that accept XML payloads. Look for Rational Design Manager imports, requirements import, or test artifact import features.
    Affected if The product exposes XML import, upload, or API endpoints that accept XML documents from authenticated users
  4. Verify XML parser configuration
    Check if external entity processing and DTD processing remain enabled in the XML parser configuration. Look for parser settings in config files or programmatically inspect the XMLReader/XMLParser settings used by the application.
    Affected if External entity processing and DTD processing are not explicitly disabled in the XML parser configuration

You are affected if you run any of the listed IBM Rational products at the specified versions AND the XML parser processes external entities without restrictions.

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-supplied iFix patches (iFix8 for 3.0.1.6, iFix11 for 4.0.x, iFix18 for 5.0.x, iFix5 for 6.0.x) to disable external entity processing in the XML parser, or programmatically configure the XML parser to disable DTD processing and external entities.

Fix this in Rational Software Architect Design Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,970
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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-2016-0284 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