CVE-2017-1196 in BigFix Compliance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM BigFix Compliance (TEMA SUAv1 SCA SCM) 1.9.70 does not require that users should have strong passwords by default, which makes it easier for attackers to compromise user accounts. IBM X-Force ID: 123671.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2020
IBM BigFix Compliance version 1.9.70 contains a critical security flaw that directly violates fundamental password security principles by failing to enforce strong password requirements for user accounts. This vulnerability falls under the weakness category of insufficient password quality checks and can be categorized as CWE-521 Weak Password Requirements within the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. The flaw represents a significant operational risk as it allows unauthorized access to systems through easily guessable or brute forceable credentials, creating an entry point for potential attackers to compromise user accounts and potentially escalate privileges within the environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the absence of built-in password strength validation mechanisms within the authentication framework. Users can create accounts with weak passwords including simple numeric sequences, common dictionary words, or easily guessable patterns without system enforcement of minimum complexity requirements. This weakness directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1110.003 Credential Stuffing and T1110.001 Brute Force, as attackers can leverage the weak password policy to systematically attempt access to legitimate accounts. The vulnerability exists at the application level where password policies should be enforced during user creation and account modification processes, yet the system defaults to permissive authentication controls.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential compromise as it creates a persistent security weakness that can be exploited across multiple attack vectors. Organizations using this version of IBM BigFix Compliance face increased risk of unauthorized access to compliance data, system configuration changes, and potential lateral movement within their network infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the core authentication mechanisms of the platform, potentially allowing attackers to gain administrative access to compliance monitoring systems and manipulate audit trails. Security teams must consider this weakness as a potential gateway for more sophisticated attacks targeting sensitive compliance data and regulatory reporting systems.
Organizations should immediately implement compensating controls including mandatory password policy enforcement through external identity management solutions, regular security assessments of authentication mechanisms, and enhanced monitoring of authentication attempts. The recommended mitigations include deploying third-party password policy enforcement tools, implementing multi-factor authentication for administrative accounts, and conducting comprehensive vulnerability scanning of all instances running this software version. Additionally, system administrators should consider upgrading to newer versions of IBM BigFix Compliance that address this weakness, as IBM has acknowledged and resolved this issue in subsequent releases. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of enforcing strong authentication policies as outlined in NIST Special Publication 800-63B and ISO/IEC 27001 security requirements for access control management.