CVE-2016-2931 in BigFix Remote Control
Summary
by MITRE
IBM BigFix Remote Control before 9.1.3 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive cleartext information by sniffing the network.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2019
IBM BigFix Remote Control version 9.1.2 and earlier contains a significant security vulnerability that exposes sensitive cleartext information to remote attackers through network sniffing operations. This vulnerability represents a critical weakness in the communication protocols used by the remote control functionality, where authentication credentials and other sensitive data are transmitted without proper encryption mechanisms. The flaw enables attackers positioned on the same network segment to capture and analyze network traffic using standard packet sniffing tools, thereby gaining access to confidential information that should remain protected during transmission.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of secure communication channels within the BigFix Remote Control protocol. When users establish remote connections through the system, authentication tokens, session identifiers, and potentially other sensitive data elements are transmitted in cleartext format across the network infrastructure. This design flaw directly violates fundamental security principles for network communications and creates an attack surface that can be exploited by any malicious actor with access to the network traffic. The vulnerability specifically affects the remote control component of the BigFix platform, which is designed to provide administrators with remote access capabilities to manage endpoints across distributed networks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of organizations relying on IBM BigFix Remote Control for their endpoint management needs. Attackers can leverage this weakness to obtain administrative credentials, session tokens, and other sensitive information that could enable them to escalate privileges, gain unauthorized access to additional systems, or conduct further malicious activities within the compromised network environment. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that depend on remote management capabilities without implementing additional network security controls such as encryption or network segmentation. The exposure of cleartext credentials creates a direct pathway for attackers to bypass traditional authentication mechanisms and assume administrative control over managed endpoints.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to IBM BigFix Remote Control version 9.1.3 or later, which addresses this vulnerability through improved encryption mechanisms and secure communication protocols. Network segmentation and the deployment of intrusion detection systems can provide additional layers of protection while the upgrade process is underway. Security teams should also conduct thorough network monitoring to detect and analyze any suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through cleartext transmission, and relates to attack techniques documented in the ATT&CK framework under credential access and network sniffing methodologies. Regular security assessments and vulnerability management processes should be enhanced to identify similar weaknesses in other remote management systems and communication protocols used within the organization's infrastructure.