CVE-2018-1588
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 · uneditedIBM Jazz Foundation (IBM Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager 5.0 through 5.02 and 6.0 through 6.0.6) is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 143501.
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 Jazz Foundation products contain an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) vulnerability where processing XML data allows a remote attacker to reference external entities, potentially exposing sensitive file contents or consuming memory resources through denial of service.
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>= 5.0, <= 5.0.2>= 6.0, <= 6.0.6CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versionLocate the product version in the admin console under 'About' or check the installation directory for a version file. You can also query the Jazz Team Server for the RELM version using the administrative interface.Affected if The installed version is 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, or 6.0.6.
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Identify XML import or upload functionalityReview available import features or API endpoints that accept XML data. Check if the engineering lifecycle manager accepts XML-based artifact imports, requirements imports, or configuration data uploads.Affected if The system has features that process XML input from users or external sources.
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Check if external entity processing is enabled in XML parsersExamine the Jazz Foundation or application server configuration files (such as server.xml or WAS configuration) for XML parser settings. Look for features related to external entity processing or DTD processing.Affected if XML parsers are configured to allow external entity resolution or DTD processing is not explicitly disabled.
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Review XML data processing in deployed workflowsAudit any deployed workflows, import handlers, or integration points that accept XML content. Check if user-supplied or externally-sourced XML is processed without sanitization.Affected if The system processes untrusted XML data through import, upload, or integration features.
You are affected if Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager version is between 5.0 and 5.0.2 or between 6.0 and 6.0.6 AND the system processes XML data with external entity processing enabled in the XML parser configuration.
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 dataDisable external entity processing in XML parsers within the affected Rational Engineering Lifecycle Manager versions (5.0-5.02, 6.0-6.0.6) or upgrade to a patched version that properly validates and sanitizes XML input.
- 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-2018-1588 — 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-2018-1588 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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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