CVE-2018-1702
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 Platform Symphony 7.1 Fix Pack 1 and 7.1.1 and IBM Spectrum Symphony 7.1.2 and 7.2.0.2 are 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: 146189.
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 confidenceThis is an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) vulnerability in IBM Platform Symphony and IBM Spectrum Symphony. When processing XML data, the application allows external entity references which can be exploited by attackers to read sensitive files from the server filesystem or cause denial of service through memory exhaustion.
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= 7.1= 7.1.1= 7.1.2= 7.2.0.2CVSS 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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Identify installed IBM Symphony productLocate the IBM Symphony installation directory and check the version information file or use the product's version command (such as 'soamversion' or checking installed packages)Affected if The installed version matches 7.1, 7.1.1 (Platform Symphony) or 7.1.2, 7.2.0.2 (Spectrum Symphony)
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Determine if XML processing is in useReview application logs, configuration files, or usage patterns to identify if the product processes XML data from external sourcesAffected if The product processes XML input from users or external systems
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Check XML parser configurationExamine the XML parser configuration files or settings used by the Symphony components. Look for settings related to external entity processing, DOCTYPE declarations, or XXE handlingAffected if External entity processing is enabled or no XXE protection is configured in the XML parser
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Inspect XML input handling codeReview any custom or configured handlers that process XML data, checking for proper input validation and sanitizationAffected if XML input is accepted without validation or the validation does not specifically block external entities
A user is affected if they have IBM Platform Symphony 7.1/7.1.1 or IBM Spectrum Symphony 7.1.2/7.2.0.2 installed AND the product processes XML input with external entity processing enabled in the 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 XML external entity (XXE) processing in the XML parser configuration, or apply vendor patches if available. Validate and sanitize all XML input before processing.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation10.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1702 — 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-2018-1702 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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