CVE-2018-1471 in BigFix Platform
Summary
by MITRE
IBM BigFix Platform 9.2 and 9.5 stores user credentials in plain in clear text which can be read by a local user. IBM X-Force ID: 140689.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/08/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1471 represents a critical security flaw within IBM BigFix Platform versions 9.2 and 9.5 where user credentials are stored in plaintext format on the local filesystem. This issue constitutes a fundamental failure in credential storage practices and directly violates established security principles for protecting sensitive authentication information. The vulnerability specifically affects the local storage mechanism of the BigFix platform, which is widely used for enterprise endpoint management and security orchestration. The exposure occurs at the file system level where authentication tokens, passwords, or other credential material are written without any form of encryption or obfuscation, making them immediately accessible to any user with local system access.
This flaw operates at the intersection of multiple security domains including privilege escalation, credential exposure, and local system compromise. The technical implementation involves the platform's configuration management processes where authentication data is persisted to disk without proper cryptographic protection. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability creates an immediate attack surface that allows local users to gain unauthorized access to administrative credentials and authentication information. The weakness directly maps to CWE-312 (CWE-312: Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) which categorizes the improper storage of sensitive data in readable formats. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that local access often requires minimal privileges or can be achieved through social engineering, privilege escalation, or other initial compromise vectors.
The operational implications of this vulnerability are severe for enterprise environments relying on IBM BigFix Platform for security operations and endpoint management. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of credential theft, unauthorized administrative access, and potential lateral movement within their networks. Attackers who gain local access to systems running the vulnerable BigFix platform can immediately extract stored credentials and use them for privilege escalation, unauthorized system access, or to compromise other network resources. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple versions indicates a systemic issue in the platform's credential handling architecture, making it a widespread concern for organizations maintaining legacy deployments. This flaw directly enables techniques categorized under ATT&CK tactic T1078 (Valid Accounts) and T1566 (Phishing for Information) where attackers can leverage stolen credentials for prolonged access and further compromise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1471 require immediate implementation of both administrative and technical controls to address the plaintext credential storage issue. Organizations should prioritize upgrading to patched versions of IBM BigFix Platform that properly encrypt credential storage or implement compensating controls such as restricting local system access, implementing strict file system permissions, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The platform should be configured to use encrypted storage mechanisms for all authentication data, with proper key management and access controls. System administrators should conduct comprehensive audits of credential storage locations and implement monitoring solutions to detect unauthorized access to credential files. Additionally, organizations should enforce principle of least privilege, implement multi-factor authentication where possible, and establish regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar credential storage vulnerabilities across their infrastructure. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper credential handling and storage practices in enterprise security platforms, emphasizing the need for cryptographic protection of sensitive data at rest.