Overview

Shibboleth is used to integrate institutional identity management systems with Ex Libris products. On February 6, 2020, a vulnerability was discovered in the Ex Libris RefWorks integration with Shibboleth. 

The vulnerability, if exploited, could potentially have allowed an attacker to bypass the authentication mechanism and access user accounts. Following our analysis, there was no indication of exploit for this vulnerability. 

To address this issue, Ex Libris implemented a security solution on February 7, 2020, that mitigated the identified vulnerability.

Effective Security Severity Level

Critical

Ex Libris implemented a security solution on February 7, 2020, that mitigated the identified vulnerability.

Affected Systems

Ex Libris RefWorks integration with Shibboleth.

Tests and Certifications

The fix for this vulnerability was developed, tested and certified for Ex Libris RefWorks product.

Actions Taken

Ex Libris has deployed the fix to Ex Libris RefWorks product that addresses the vulnerability described in this advisory and no action is required by our cloud customers.

Exploitation and Public Announcements 

The Ex Libris Security Incident Response Team (SIRT) is not aware of any public announcements or malicious use of the vulnerability that is described in this advisory.

Record of Changes

Revision Control

Document Distribution and Review

The document owner will distribute this document to all approvers when it is first created and as changes or updates are made. This document will be reviewed and updated annually or upon written request by an approver or stakeholder. Questions or feedback about this document can be directed to the owner or a listed approver