CVE-2018-1944 in Security Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key, which it uses for its own inbound authentication, outbound communication to external components, or encryption of internal data. IBM X-Force ID: 153386.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1944 affects IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence virtual appliance versions 5.2 through 5.2.4.1, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the system's authentication and encryption mechanisms. This issue stems from the inclusion of hard-coded credentials within the appliance's configuration, which creates a persistent security risk that remains active throughout the appliance's operational lifecycle. The presence of such credentials within the software represents a fundamental flaw in secure design principles, as these hardcoded elements provide unauthorized parties with consistent access paths to critical system components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the embedding of specific passwords or cryptographic keys directly within the appliance's codebase or configuration files, eliminating the need for dynamic credential generation or secure credential management processes. These hard-coded elements serve multiple purposes within the system architecture, including inbound authentication mechanisms that validate internal access requests, outbound communication protocols that establish trust with external components, and encryption routines that protect sensitive data within the appliance's internal storage. The flaw essentially creates a backdoor that persists regardless of administrative actions or system updates, as these credentials are embedded at the software level rather than being managed through proper credential lifecycle management processes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to organizations utilizing the affected IBM appliance, as it allows attackers who discover these hardcoded credentials to gain unauthorized access to the identity governance and intelligence system. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as compromised credentials could enable attackers to manipulate identity data, modify access controls, intercept communications with external systems, or decrypt sensitive information stored within the appliance. This vulnerability directly violates multiple security principles including the principle of least privilege and the concept of secure by design, as it creates persistent access points that cannot be easily revoked or changed.
The attack surface for this vulnerability is particularly concerning given that the affected appliance serves as a central component in identity governance and intelligence systems, where it typically manages access to critical enterprise resources and maintains sensitive identity information. Attackers exploiting this flaw could potentially escalate privileges, establish persistent access, or conduct reconnaissance activities that compromise the entire identity management infrastructure. The vulnerability's persistence means that even if organizations implement additional security controls or update other system components, the hardcoded credentials remain accessible to attackers who discover them through various means including code analysis, network traffic inspection, or public disclosures.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including conducting thorough inventory assessments to identify all instances of the affected appliance versions, replacing hardcoded credentials with dynamically generated secure credentials where possible, and implementing network segmentation to limit access to the appliance. The remediation process should involve updating to the latest available patches from IBM that address this specific vulnerability, while also considering architectural changes that eliminate the need for hardcoded credentials in future deployments. Security teams should also establish monitoring procedures to detect unauthorized access attempts and implement proper credential management practices that align with industry standards such as those defined in the CWE-798 category for hardcoded credentials and the ATT&CK framework's credential access techniques that specifically target hardcoded credentials and hard-coded passwords. Organizations must also review their overall security posture to ensure that similar vulnerabilities do not exist in other system components, as this represents a pattern of insecure coding practices that could potentially affect other software components within their infrastructure.