CVE-2020-4690 in Security Guardium
Summary
by MITRE • 09/24/2021
IBM Security Guardium 11.3 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: 186697.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/01/2021
IBM Security Guardium version 11.3 contains a critical hard-coded credential vulnerability that represents a significant security risk within the database security platform. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-798 weakness category, which specifically addresses the use of hard-coded credentials in software applications. The flaw exists when the system incorporates passwords, cryptographic keys, or other authentication tokens directly into the source code or configuration files rather than dynamically generating or retrieving them from secure external sources. Such implementation patterns create persistent security exposures that remain unchanged throughout the system's lifecycle and cannot be easily modified or revoked.
The technical impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple operational domains within the Guardium environment. The hard-coded credentials may be utilized for inbound authentication processes that validate access to the Guardium server itself, outbound communication protocols that establish connections to external security components or monitoring systems, or encryption mechanisms that protect internal data within the database security platform. Attackers who discover these embedded credentials can potentially gain unauthorized access to the Guardium server, bypass authentication controls, and establish persistent access to the database security infrastructure. This vulnerability particularly affects the integrity and confidentiality of database security operations, as it allows adversaries to manipulate or exfiltrate sensitive security data and monitoring information.
From an operational perspective, the vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations relying on IBM Security Guardium for database activity monitoring and security enforcement. The presence of hard-coded credentials violates fundamental security principles and best practices established by industry standards including the OWASP Top Ten and NIST cybersecurity frameworks. The attack surface expands significantly when considering that these credentials might be accessible through various attack vectors including reverse engineering of binaries, source code analysis, or exploitation of other vulnerabilities that could lead to credential exposure. Organizations may face compliance violations and regulatory penalties if this vulnerability results in unauthorized access to protected database information, as it directly impacts the security controls designed to protect sensitive data assets.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate attention and systematic remediation approaches. The primary recommendation involves removing or replacing all hard-coded credentials with secure credential management solutions that utilize dynamic retrieval from secure vaults or configuration management systems. Organizations should implement proper credential lifecycle management processes including regular credential rotation, access control restrictions, and monitoring for unauthorized credential usage. The remediation process must include thorough code review and penetration testing to identify all instances of hard-coded credentials within the Guardium environment. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing privileged access management solutions and just-in-time credential delivery mechanisms to reduce the attack surface and ensure that authentication tokens are only available when and where they are needed. This vulnerability exemplifies the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to the principle of least privilege in security system design.