CVE-2023-33832 in Spectrum Protect
Summary
by MITRE • 07/19/2023
IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.0.0 through 8.1.17.0 could allow a local user to cause a denial of service due to due to improper time-of-check to time-of-use functionality. IBM X-Force ID: 256012.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/14/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-33832 affects IBM Spectrum Protect versions 8.1.0.0 through 8.1.17.0, representing a critical local denial of service weakness that stems from improper time-of-check to time-of-use behavior. This flaw exists within the software's resource management mechanisms where the system performs a check on resource availability or permissions at one point in time and subsequently uses those resources at a later point without revalidating the initial conditions. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-367 category of Time-of-Check to Time-of-Use race condition, which is a well-documented security weakness that has been extensively catalogued in the Common Weakness Enumeration database.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows a local attacker with access to the system to manipulate the state of resources between the validation check and actual resource utilization, thereby creating a condition where the application's normal operation becomes disrupted. When IBM Spectrum Protect performs operations that require specific file or directory permissions, the system checks these conditions at the beginning of a process but does not revalidate them before proceeding with the actual resource manipulation. This creates an exploitable window where an attacker can alter the state of the system such that when the application attempts to access or modify resources, it encounters unexpected conditions that trigger a denial of service state.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to organizations relying on IBM Spectrum Protect for their data backup and recovery operations. The denial of service condition can result in complete service interruption, preventing legitimate users from performing backup operations, restoring data, or accessing the protection system entirely. The local nature of the vulnerability means that an attacker must already have access to the system, but this access level is often sufficient for attackers who have already compromised other system components or who have legitimate administrative credentials that can be misused. The impact extends beyond simple service interruption as it can affect data protection workflows and potentially create recovery scenarios where critical data cannot be accessed when needed most.
The vulnerability's exploitation requires an attacker to have local system access and the ability to manipulate file system states or permissions between the check and use phases. This typically involves creating race conditions where files are deleted, moved, or have their permissions changed during the brief window between validation and actual resource usage. The IBM X-Force ID 256012 provides additional context for security researchers and incident response teams to track and correlate this specific weakness within their threat intelligence systems. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches, monitoring system logs for unusual file access patterns, and implementing least privilege access controls to limit local user capabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under privilege escalation and denial of service tactics, where attackers can leverage such weaknesses to disrupt system availability and compromise the integrity of backup operations.