CVE-2018-1785 in Tivoli Storage Manager
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1) uses weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms that could allow an attacker to decrypt sensitive information. IBM X-Force ID: 148870.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1785 affects IBM Tivoli Storage Manager versions 7.1 and 8.1, representing a significant cryptographic weakness that compromises data confidentiality. This issue stems from the use of weaker-than-expected cryptographic algorithms within the IBM Spectrum Protect platform, which serves as a critical data protection solution for enterprise environments. The vulnerability exposes organizations to potential data breaches where sensitive information could be decrypted by unauthorized parties, undermining the fundamental security assurances that storage management systems are designed to provide. The weakness specifically impacts the cryptographic implementations used for protecting stored data, making it susceptible to various attack vectors that exploit the reduced encryption strength.
The technical flaw manifests in the implementation of cryptographic protocols within the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager software, where the system employs encryption algorithms that fall below industry-standard security requirements. This cryptographic weakness creates opportunities for attackers to perform decryption attacks against protected data, potentially accessing confidential information without proper authorization. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that IBM Spectrum Protect is widely deployed for enterprise data backup and recovery operations, where it handles sensitive corporate data, personal information, and critical business assets. The reduced cryptographic strength likely involves the use of deprecated or insufficiently strong encryption algorithms, potentially including weak key lengths or flawed cryptographic implementations that have been identified as vulnerable by security researchers and standards organizations.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for their data protection infrastructure, as it directly undermines the confidentiality assurances that storage management systems are expected to provide. Attackers could exploit this weakness to gain unauthorized access to backed-up data, potentially compromising entire data repositories that contain sensitive corporate information, customer data, intellectual property, and other confidential assets. The impact extends beyond immediate data theft to include potential regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences. Organizations utilizing affected versions of IBM Spectrum Protect face heightened exposure to data breaches that could result in significant operational disruption and increased security management overhead.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, reviewing and strengthening cryptographic configurations, and implementing additional security controls such as network segmentation and monitoring. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses the use of weak cryptographic algorithms, and may be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1552.001 for unsecured credentials and T1071.004 for application layer protocols. IBM has released security updates addressing this vulnerability, and organizations should prioritize applying these patches while conducting comprehensive security assessments of their data protection infrastructure. Additional mitigations include implementing strict access controls, monitoring for suspicious activities, and ensuring that cryptographic implementations meet current security standards to prevent exploitation of similar weaknesses in other system components.