CVE-2016-8937 in Tivoli Storage Manager
Summary
by MITRE
The IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1) default authentication protocol is vulnerable to a brute force attack due to disclosing too much information during authentication. An attacker could gain user or administrative access to the TSM server. IBM X-Force ID: 118750.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/15/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8937 affects IBM Tivoli Storage Manager versions 7.1 and 8.1, representing a critical weakness in the system's authentication mechanism that exposes significant security risks. This flaw resides within the default authentication protocol implementation, where the system provides excessive feedback during credential validation processes. The vulnerability stems from insufficient error handling and information disclosure practices that allow attackers to gather valuable intelligence about valid user accounts and authentication attempts. The specific nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-305 authentication flaw categories, where the system's response to authentication attempts reveals more information than necessary, creating opportunities for malicious actors to exploit the system through systematic credential guessing.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through the authentication protocol's response behavior, where successful and failed authentication attempts generate distinguishable error messages or timing variations that can be leveraged by attackers. This information disclosure pattern enables brute force attacks to proceed with significantly reduced effort compared to traditional blind attack methods. Attackers can systematically test credential combinations while monitoring the server's responses to identify valid accounts, effectively bypassing normal account lockout mechanisms and security controls. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple user access to include potential administrative privileges, as the same authentication weakness affects both regular user accounts and privileged administrative functions within the IBM Spectrum Protect environment.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability present severe risks to organizations relying on IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for critical data protection services. Successful exploitation could result in unauthorized data access, modification, or deletion, potentially compromising the integrity and availability of stored information. The attack vector requires minimal specialized knowledge, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by threat actors with basic security skills. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to backup data, which could contain sensitive corporate information, customer data, or intellectual property that is typically protected by the storage management system. The vulnerability also poses risks to system availability, as attackers could potentially disrupt legitimate authentication processes or cause system instability through repeated attack attempts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-8937 should focus on implementing proper authentication hardening measures and limiting information disclosure during credential validation. Organizations should immediately apply the relevant IBM security patches and updates that address this specific vulnerability. The implementation of account lockout mechanisms with randomized delays can help prevent successful brute force attacks by introducing additional complexity for attackers. Network-level protections including intrusion detection systems and access control lists should be configured to monitor and restrict authentication attempts from suspicious sources. Security controls should also include the implementation of multi-factor authentication where possible, and regular monitoring of authentication logs for unusual patterns that may indicate attempted exploitation. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of following security best practices outlined in frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1110 for Brute Force and T1078 for Valid Accounts, emphasizing the need for robust authentication controls and monitoring mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to critical storage infrastructure.