CVE-2016-5943 in Spectrum Control
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Spectrum Control (formerly Tivoli Storage Productivity Center) 5.2.x before 5.2.11 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended access restrictions, and read task details or edit properties, via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2019
IBM Spectrum Control version 5.2.x prior to 5.2.11 contains a critical access control vulnerability that enables authenticated attackers to circumvent intended security restrictions. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-284 access control weakness category, specifically representing an improper access control scenario where authorized users can gain unauthorized access to sensitive information and functionality. The flaw allows remote authenticated users to read task details and edit properties that should be restricted to authorized personnel only.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of user permissions within the application's authorization framework. Attackers who have already established legitimate authentication credentials can exploit this weakness to escalate their privileges and access restricted system components. The unspecified vectors suggest that the vulnerability may manifest through multiple attack paths within the application's interface, potentially affecting various administrative functions and data access points. This weakness directly impacts the principle of least privilege and could enable attackers to gain deeper insights into system operations and modify critical configurations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the storage management environment. An attacker with access to task details could potentially discover sensitive operational information including storage configurations, backup schedules, and system performance metrics. The ability to edit properties introduces additional risks including the potential for configuration tampering that could disrupt storage operations or create security gaps within the infrastructure. This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized data manipulation, system instability, and potential data loss scenarios that would significantly impact business continuity and regulatory compliance requirements.
Organizations should immediately apply the vendor-provided patch to address this vulnerability and ensure that all affected systems are updated to version 5.2.11 or later. Network segmentation and monitoring should be implemented to detect suspicious authentication patterns and unauthorized access attempts. Regular security audits should be conducted to verify proper access controls and ensure that users maintain only the minimum necessary privileges for their roles. The vulnerability aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques, making it a critical target for security hardening efforts. System administrators should also review and validate existing access control policies to prevent similar issues from occurring in other components of the storage management infrastructure.