Security Bulletin: IBM Flex System Manager (FSM) is affected by multiple libxml2 vulnerabilities

Summary

Multiple security vulnerabilities have been discovered in libxml2 that is embedded in the IBM FSM. This fix addresses these vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Details

CVEID: CVE-2016-3627**
DESCRIPTION:** libxml2 is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by an error in the xmlStringGetNodeList() function when parsing xml files while in recover mode. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to exhaust the stack and cause a segmentation fault.
CVSS Base Score: 5.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/111586 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L)

CVEID: CVE-2015-8806**
DESCRIPTION:** Libxml2 is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by a heap-buffer overread in dict.c. By persuading a victim to open a specially crafted file, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause the application to crash.
CVSS Base Score: 4.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/110613 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L)

CVEID: CVE-2016-3705**
DESCRIPTION:** libxml2 is vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow, caused by an out-of-bounds read of xmlParserEntityCheck() and xmlParseAttValueComplex() functions in parser.c. By persuading a victim to open a specially crafted XML file, a remote attacker could overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code on the system or cause the application to crash.
CVSS Base Score: 6.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/112885 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L)

CVEID: CVE-2016-4447**
DESCRIPTION:** libxml2 is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by a heap-based buffer overflow. By persuading a victim to open a specially crafted XML file, a remote attacker could overflow a buffer and cause the application to crash.
CVSS Base Score: 4.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/113522 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L)

CVEID: CVE-2016-4448**
DESCRIPTION:** libxml2 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by a format string error. By using a specially crafted html file containing malicious format specifiers, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system or cause the application to crash.
CVSS Base Score: 7.3
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/113523 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L)

CVEID: CVE-2016-4449**
DESCRIPTION:** libxml2 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by a XML external entity (XXE) error when processing XML data by the XML parser. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information.
CVSS Base Score: 7.5
CVSS Temporal Score: See https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/113524 for the current score
CVSS Environmental Score*: Undefined
CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N)

Affected Products and Versions

Flex System Manager 1.3.4.x
Flex System Manager 1.3.3.x
Flex System Manager 1.3.2.x

Remediation/Fixes

IBM recommends updating the FSM using the instructions referenced in this table.

Product |

VRMF |

APAR |

Remediation
—|—|—|—
Flex System Manager|

1.3.4.x |

IT16773

| Ensure the steps in Technote 761981453 are completed, and then install
fsmfix1.3.4.0_IT16772_IT16773_IT16774_IT16776
Flex System Manager|

1.3.3.x |

IT16773

| Ensure the steps in Technote 736218441 are completed and then install
fsmfix1.3.3.0_IT16772_IT16773_IT16774_IT16776
Flex System Manager|

1.3.2.x |

IT16773

| Ensure the steps in Technote 736218441 are completed and then install
fsmfix1.3.2.0_IT16772_IT16773_IT16774_IT16776

For 1.1.x.x, 1.2.x.x, 1.3.0.x and 1.3.1.x IBM recommends upgrading to a fixed, supported version/release of the product.

You should verify applying this fix does not cause any compatibility issues. The fix disables older encrypted protocols by default. If you change the default setting after applying the fix, you will expose yourself to the attack described in IT15244. IBM recommends that you review your entire environment to identify other areas where you have enabled weak encryption and take appropriate mitigation and remediation actions.

Workarounds and Mitigations

none