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Activematrix BusinessworksApplication · Tibco

CVE-2018-12408

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-08
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.13.0 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
The BusinessWorks engine component of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks, TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks for z/Linux, and TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric contains a vulnerability that may allow XML eXternal Entity (XXE) attacks via incoming network messages, and may disclose the contents of files accessible to a running BusinessWorks engine Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc. TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks: versions up to and including 5.13.0, TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks for z/Linux: versions up to and including 5.13.0, TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks Distribution for TIBCO Silver Fabric: versions up to and including 5.13.0.

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

TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks engine contains an XML eXternal Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in its parsing of incoming network messages. Attackers can craft malicious XML payloads to access local file contents accessible to the BusinessWorks process, potentially exposing sensitive system files.

MitigationUpgrade TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks to a version beyond 5.13.0 (patched release), and disable external entity processing in XML parser configurations 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
Activematrix BusinessworksApplication
Affected:<= 5.13.0
Activematrix Businessworks Distribution For Tibco Silver FabricApplication
Affected:<= 5.13.0

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

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

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify BusinessWorks installation location
    Locate the TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks installation directory on the system, typically under the TIBCO home folder. Common paths include /opt/tibco or C:\tibco on Windows.
    Affected if Cannot locate version information in the installation directory
  2. Determine installed BusinessWorks version
    Look for version information in the installation directory. Check for files such as version.txt, version.info, or the manifest.mf file in the lib folder. Alternatively, examine the product's about or version information accessible through TIBCO administration tools.
    Affected if Installed version is 5.13.0 or lower (any version <= 5.13.0)
  3. Confirm BusinessWorks Distribution For Silver Fabric version
    If using the Silver Fabric distribution variant, check its specific version in the corresponding installation directory, noting that this is a separate product variant with its own version numbering.
    Affected if Silver Fabric distribution version is 5.13.0 or lower
  4. Verify XML parser external entity processing is enabled
    Examine XML parser configuration files used by BusinessWorks applications. Look for parser settings or configurations that enable external entity processing, DTD processing, or external document type definition inclusion. Check application-specific parser configurations and any custom XMLFactory or document builder settings.
    Affected if XML parser is configured to allow external entity processing or DTD processing is not disabled

Environment is affected if TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks (or its Silver Fabric distribution) version is 5.13.0 or lower AND the XML parser configuration permits external entity processing.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.13.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade TIBCO ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks to a version beyond 5.13.0 (patched release), and disable external entity processing in XML parser configurations as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Activematrix Businessworks Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2018-12408 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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