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Infosphere Information ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2023-42009

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-12-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.7.1.0 / 11.7.1.4 or later.
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
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 265504.

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 · moderate confidence

IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7 contains a stored/persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in its web interface. Attackers can inject arbitrary JavaScript code that gets stored and executed when other users access the affected Web UI functionality, potentially leading to session credential disclosure.

MitigationApply IBM's security patch for CVE-2023-42009. If no patch is available, implement output encoding and input validation on all user-controllable fields in the web interface, and deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS execution.

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
Infosphere Information ServerApplication
Affected:>= 11.7.0.0, < 11.7.1.0>= 11.7.0.0, < 11.7.1.4

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:3.1/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. Confirm IBM InfoSphere Information Server is installed
    Check for the product installation directory (typically under /opt/IBM/InformationServer or C:\IBM\InformationServer on Windows) and look for the 'ASBNode' or 'core' installation folders. On Windows, also verify the 'IBM InfoSphere Information Server' service exists.
    Affected if The product is not installed or the installation directory cannot be found.
  2. Identify the installed version
    Locate the version file in the installation directory. Common paths include <install_dir>/Version.xml or <install_dir>/install/InfoSphere.ini. Alternatively, run: <install_dir>/bin/version.sh (Linux) or <install_dir>\bin\version.bat (Windows).
    Affected if The installed version falls within 11.7.0.0 to 11.7.0.x (before 11.7.1.0) or 11.7.1.0 to 11.7.1.3 (before 11.7.1.4).
  3. Verify the web interface is enabled
    Check if the IBM InfoSphere web application server (ASBNode) is running. On Linux: ps -ef | grep -i ASBNode. On Windows: check services for 'IBM InfoSphere Server'. Also confirm port 9443 or 8080 is listening.
    Affected if The web interface (ASBNode) is running and accessible, making the XSS vulnerability reachable.
  4. Identify user access to vulnerable web UI functionality
    Determine if any non-admin users have access to the InfoSphere web console. Check user roles in the IBM Metadata Analyzer or through the Administration > Users interface in the web UI.
    Affected if Multiple users or non-admin users have access to the web interface, as the stored XSS executes when those users access the compromised functionality.

You are affected if IBM InfoSphere Information Server version 11.7.0.0 through 11.7.0.x or 11.7.1.0 through 11.7.1.3 is installed with the web interface (ASBNode) enabled and accessible to users.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 11.7.1.0 / 11.7.1.4 or later
Fixed in 11.7.1.011.7.1.4
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM's security patch for CVE-2023-42009. If no patch is available, implement output encoding and input validation on all user-controllable fields in the web interface, and deploy Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to mitigate XSS execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.4 or later

  1. 1. Back up the current IBM InfoSphere Information Server installation and database
  2. 2. Download IBM InfoSphere Information Server version 11.7.1.4 or later from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral)
  3. 3. Stop all IBM Information Server services and components
  4. 4. Install the updated version following the IBM installation documentation
  5. 5. Verify the installation completed successfully
  6. 6. Restart all IBM Information Server services
  7. 7. Test the Web UI functionality to confirm the application works correctly
  8. 8. Validate that the XSS vulnerability is resolved by attempting to inject JavaScript in the Web UI fields

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Infosphere Information Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-42009 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