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CVE Record

CVE-2018-1721: IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 is vulnerable to a XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when proce...

IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 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 cause the web server to make HTTP requests to arbitrary domains. IBM X-Force ID: 147369.

HighCVSS 8.3Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 can mishandle XML input. A remote authenticated attacker could use this to expose sensitive data or make the Cognos web server contact arbitrary domains. No active exploitation is cited in the provided sources.

Executive priority

Treat as a high-priority remediation for any active Cognos 11.0 or 11.1 deployment, especially if it supports sensitive reporting data or is reachable by many users.

Technical view

The issue is an XML External Entity Injection vulnerability in IBM Cognos Analytics XML processing. The supplied CVSS v3.0 vector is 8.3 high, network-accessible, low complexity, low privileges required, and no user interaction required.

Likely exposure

Organizations running IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 or 11.1 are the stated exposure group. Internet-facing or broadly accessible Cognos deployments raise concern because exploitation is network-reachable and requires only low privileges.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not cite public exploitation or CISA KEV listing. The CVSS vector marks exploit code maturity as unproven, but the impact is still serious because XXE can expose sensitive information and trigger server-side outbound requests.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to CVE, IBM advisory, and IBM X-Force references. The exact vulnerable endpoint, patch level, and vendor workaround details are not included in the bundle, so validate against IBM guidance before making technical claims.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 deployments.
  • Follow IBM's linked support advisory for the official remediation.
  • Limit Cognos access to trusted users until remediation is complete.
  • Restrict and monitor outbound HTTP requests from Cognos servers.
  • Review logs for unusual XML processing errors or unexpected outbound domains.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm deployed Cognos Analytics versions against the affected 11.0 and 11.1 range.
  • Check whether IBM's advisory remediation has been applied.
  • Review authentication scope for users who can submit XML-processing workflows.
  • Inspect proxy, firewall, and web logs for unexpected Cognos-originated requests.
  • Document residual exposure if vendor remediation status cannot be confirmed.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2018-1721 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.3 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/S:U/AV:N/AC:L/C:H/A:L/I:H/UI:N/PR:L/RC:C/E:U/RL:O

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
8.3CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/S:U/AV:N/AC:L/C:H/A:L/I:H/UI:N/PR:L/RC:C/E:U/RL:O2.85.5Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

8.3High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2018-1721Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/S:U/AV:N/AC:L/C:H/A:L/I:H/UI:N/PR:L/RC:C/E:U/RL:O

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
IBMCognos Analytics11.0, 11.1Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.