CVE-2022-34339 in Cognos Analytics
Summary
by MITRE • 11/04/2022
"IBM Cognos Analytics 11.2.1, 11.2.0, 11.1.7 stores user credentials in plain clear text which can be read by an authenticated user. IBM X-Force ID: 229963."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2026
This vulnerability exists within IBM Cognos Analytics versions 11.2.1, 11.2.0, and 11.1.7 where user credentials are stored in plain text format rather than being properly encrypted or hashed. The flaw represents a critical security weakness that allows any authenticated user within the system to access stored credentials, effectively undermining the fundamental security principles of credential protection and access control. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure credential storage as defined by CWE-312, which specifically addresses the exposure of sensitive data through improper storage mechanisms.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a failure in the application's credential management system where authentication tokens, passwords, or other sensitive authentication data are written to storage without proper encryption or obfuscation. An authenticated user with sufficient privileges can directly access these stored credentials through various system interfaces or configuration files, creating a privilege escalation scenario where legitimate users can obtain access to other users' accounts. This represents a significant bypass of the principle of least privilege and can enable lateral movement within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it creates an attack vector that can be exploited by both internal and external threat actors who gain initial access to the system. Once an attacker obtains these plain text credentials, they can immediately impersonate users, access sensitive business intelligence data, and potentially escalate privileges to gain administrative access. The vulnerability also affects the integrity of the system's authentication framework and can lead to unauthorized data access, data exfiltration, and potential compliance violations. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1566 (Phishing) and T1550 (Use of Credentials) where attackers can leverage stolen credentials for further system compromise.
Organizations utilizing IBM Cognos Analytics in affected versions face significant risk exposure including potential data breaches, regulatory non-compliance, and reputational damage. The vulnerability can be exploited through various attack paths including compromised user accounts, insider threats, or initial access points that allow an attacker to authenticate to the system. IBM has addressed this issue in subsequent releases through proper credential encryption and secure storage mechanisms, but organizations must ensure immediate patching and credential rotation to mitigate the risk. Security controls should include monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, implementing strict access controls, and conducting regular security assessments to identify potential credential exposure scenarios. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper security configuration management and the need for organizations to maintain current security patches across all business intelligence and analytics platforms.