CVE-2018-1949 in Security Identity Governance
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence 5.2 through 5.2.4.1 Virtual Appliance discloses sensitive information to unauthorized users. The information can be used to mount further attacks on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 153429.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/11/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1949 affects IBM Security Identity Governance and Intelligence Virtual Appliance versions 5.2 through 5.2.4.1, representing a critical information disclosure flaw that compromises system security. This vulnerability resides within the virtual appliance implementation of IBM's identity governance solution, which is designed to manage and monitor user identities and access controls within enterprise environments. The flaw allows unauthorized users to access sensitive information that should remain protected within the system boundaries, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this platform for identity management.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper access controls and insufficient input validation mechanisms within the virtual appliance's web interface and administrative components. Attackers can exploit this weakness to retrieve sensitive data including but not limited to user credentials, system configuration details, and potentially cryptographic keys or certificates used for authentication and encryption purposes. The vulnerability manifests through the system's failure to properly authenticate and authorize access requests to sensitive information resources, allowing any authenticated user or even unauthenticated attackers to obtain information that should be restricted to authorized administrators or system components. This represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates inadequate separation of concerns within the application's security architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple information disclosure, as the leaked sensitive data can serve as a foundation for more sophisticated attacks within the compromised environment. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can leverage the disclosed information to conduct privilege escalation attacks, perform lateral movement within the network, or establish persistent access to the system. The compromised virtual appliance may provide attackers with insights into the organization's identity management infrastructure, potentially revealing user access patterns, system configurations, and administrative procedures that can be exploited for further compromise. This vulnerability directly aligns with CWE-200, which describes improper exposure of sensitive information, and represents a significant risk to the confidentiality and integrity of the identity governance platform.
Organizations utilizing this vulnerable software should implement immediate mitigations to address the information disclosure vulnerability. The most effective approach involves applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that specifically address the access control flaws within the virtual appliance. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules should be implemented to restrict access to the appliance's administrative interfaces, limiting exposure to trusted network segments only. Security monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns or attempts to retrieve sensitive information from the appliance. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of implementing proper security controls such as secure configuration management, regular vulnerability assessments, and comprehensive access control policies. Organizations should consider implementing additional authentication mechanisms and audit logging to track access to sensitive administrative functions. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect critical identity management infrastructure from exploitation attempts. The risk assessment should include evaluation of the potential impact on the broader enterprise security posture, particularly in environments where identity governance systems serve as central components of access control and authentication infrastructure.