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Cognos ControllerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-28776

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 11.0.1.4 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 Cognos Controller 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and IBM Controller 11.1.0 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.

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

IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and 11.1.0 are vulnerable to stored cross-site scripting (XSS) in the web interface. An authenticated user can embed malicious JavaScript into Web UI fields that executes in browsers of other users viewing the same content, potentially exposing session credentials or performing actions on behalf of victims within trusted sessions.

MitigationApply IBM's available patches for this vulnerability and implement output encoding/sanitization on all user-supplied input fields in the web interface. Consider deploying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers as an additional 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
Cognos ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 11.0.0, < 11.0.1.4
ControllerApplication
Affected:= 11.1.0

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
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. Locate IBM Cognos Controller installation directory
    On the Cognos server, navigate to the installation folder (commonly C:\Program Files\IBM\cognos\controller or /opt/IBM/cognos/controller) and check for version.info, version.txt, or inspect the properties file in the installation root for version details
    Affected if Cannot determine version - contact administrator for version documentation
  2. Check Cognos Configuration for version
    Open IBM Cognos Configuration (cogconfig.exe on Windows or cogconfig.sh on Linux), navigate to the Environment section or check the 'About' option from the Help menu to view the exact version and build number
    Affected if Cannot access Cognos Configuration - ensure you have administrative access to the server
  3. Compare installed version to affected ranges
    Verify the installed version against: 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 (any build < 11.0.1.4) OR exactly version 11.1.0. If version starts with 11.0.0.x where x is any build, or is exactly 11.1.0, the installation is within the affected range
    Affected if Version is 11.0.0.x or 11.1.0 exactly - these versions contain the vulnerability
  4. Confirm web interface is enabled and accessible
    Access the Cognos Controller web URL (typically http(s)://server:9300/cca or the configured portal URL). Verify the web interface responds and does not return connection errors indicating the service is stopped
    Affected if Web interface is accessible and running - the XSS flaw is present in the web UI component
  5. Verify authentication is configured
    In IBM Cognos Configuration, check that authentication providers (such as Windows NTLM, LDAP, or CAM) are configured and enabled under the Security > Authentication section
    Affected if Authentication is enabled - the vulnerability requires an authenticated user to inject the malicious script

The environment is affected if IBM Cognos Controller or IBM Controller version is 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 (any build before 11.0.1.4) or exactly version 11.1.0, and the web interface is accessible to authenticated 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 11.0.1.4 or later
Fixed in 11.0.1.4
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM's available patches for this vulnerability and implement output encoding/sanitization on all user-supplied input fields in the web interface. Consider deploying Content Security Policy (CSP) headers as an additional defense-in-depth measure.

Recommended fix High confidence

IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.1.4 or later (for 11.0.x line); IBM Controller 11.1.1 or later (for 11.1.0 line)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of IBM Cognos Controller by accessing the About section in the administration console
  2. 2. If running version 11.0.0 through 11.0.1.3 (FP3), upgrade to version 11.0.1.4 or later in the 11.0.x release line
  3. 3. If running version 11.1.0, upgrade to the next available fix pack (such as 11.1.1 or later) that includes the security fix
  4. 4. After upgrade, clear browser cache and verify the Web UI loads correctly
  5. 5. Test that the XSS vulnerability is remediated by confirming normal Web UI functionality
Caveat Standard upgrade precautions apply - backup configuration and test in non-production environment before deploying to production

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

Fix this in Cognos Controller Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
19.0 hours of engineering $3,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,408.

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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-2024-28776 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