CVE-2018-1843 in Cloud Private
Summary
by MITRE
The Identity and Access Management (IAM) services (IBM Cloud Private 3.1.0) do not use a secure channel, such as SSL, to exchange information only when accessed internally from within the cluster. It could be possible for an attacker with access to network traffic to sniff packets from the connection and uncover data. IBM X-Force ID: 150903
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1843 affects IBM Cloud Private version 3.1.0's Identity and Access Management services, representing a significant security weakness in the platform's internal communication protocols. This issue specifically manifests when IAM services are accessed internally from within the cluster environment, where the system fails to implement secure communication channels such as SSL/TLS encryption. The flaw creates an attack surface that allows malicious actors with network access to perform packet sniffing operations and potentially extract sensitive information transmitted between internal components. The vulnerability demonstrates a clear failure in implementing proper cryptographic protections for internal communications, which is fundamental to maintaining data confidentiality within enterprise cloud environments.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the IAM services' design decision to rely on plaintext communication for internal cluster traffic, bypassing standard security protocols that should be mandatory for any service handling authentication and authorization data. This weakness directly violates established security principles and industry standards such as those outlined in CWE-319, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive information through improper use of encryption. The lack of secure channel implementation means that any data flowing between IAM components and other internal services can be intercepted and analyzed by attackers positioned within the network. This includes potentially sensitive authentication tokens, user credentials, and access control information that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or unauthorized system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data exposure, as it fundamentally undermines the security posture of the entire IBM Cloud Private environment. An attacker with network-level access can exploit this weakness to gather intelligence about internal system operations, user access patterns, and authentication mechanisms. This information could then be used to craft more sophisticated attacks targeting other system components or to establish persistent access within the cluster. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in multi-tenant environments where multiple organizations share the same infrastructure, as it could enable cross-tenant data leakage and privilege escalation attacks. According to ATT&CK framework, this weakness maps to T1046 Network Service Scanning and T1071 Application Layer Protocol, as it involves the exploitation of unencrypted internal communication channels. The impact is further amplified by the fact that this vulnerability affects core identity management functions, potentially allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to protected resources.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-1843 should prioritize immediate implementation of secure communication protocols within the internal cluster environment. Organizations must ensure that all internal IAM service communications are encrypted using industry-standard SSL/TLS protocols, with proper certificate management and key rotation procedures. The remediation process should include comprehensive network segmentation to limit access to internal IAM components and implementation of network monitoring tools to detect unusual traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, security teams should conduct thorough assessments of all internal communication channels to identify similar vulnerabilities and ensure proper encryption is implemented across all services handling sensitive data. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to maintain compliance with security standards such as those defined in NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001, which emphasize the importance of secure communication channels for identity and access management systems.