CVE-2023-47704 in Security Guardium Key Lifecycle Manager
Summary
by MITRE • 12/20/2023
IBM Security Guardium Key Lifecycle Manager 4.3 contains plain text hard-coded credentials or other secrets in source code repository. IBM X-Force ID: 271220.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-47704 affects IBM Security Guardium Key Lifecycle Manager version 4.3, representing a critical security flaw that exposes sensitive credentials within the source code repository. This issue falls under the category of hardcoded credentials, which constitutes a fundamental weakness in software security architecture and represents a direct violation of secure coding practices. The presence of plain text secrets in source code repositories creates an immediate and severe risk to system integrity and confidentiality, as these credentials can be readily accessed by any individual with repository access or through automated scanning tools that parse source code repositories.
The technical flaw manifests when developers embed authentication tokens, passwords, API keys, or other sensitive credentials directly into the source code rather than retrieving them from secure configuration management systems or environment variables. This practice violates established security principles and creates a persistent vulnerability that remains active throughout the software lifecycle. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it allows unauthorized access to backend systems, databases, and other critical infrastructure components that the Guardium Key Lifecycle Manager interacts with for key management operations. The CWE-798 weakness classification directly applies to this scenario, as it specifically addresses the use of hardcoded credentials in source code repositories, making it an easily exploitable security gap that can lead to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it enables attackers to escalate privileges and gain unauthorized access to key management systems that control cryptographic keys used for data encryption and decryption. This can result in widespread data breaches, unauthorized key generation or modification, and complete compromise of the security infrastructure that the Guardium system is designed to protect. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the entire key lifecycle management process, potentially allowing attackers to decrypt sensitive data, forge authentication tokens, or manipulate key storage systems. Organizations relying on this system may experience significant regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage when such hardcoded credentials are discovered and exploited.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate remediation through comprehensive code review and source code scanning to identify and remove all hardcoded credentials from the repository. Organizations must implement proper credential management practices including the use of secure configuration management systems, environment variable injection, and secret management solutions such as HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager. The implementation of automated security scanning tools during the software development lifecycle can prevent similar issues from reoccurring, while adherence to the principle of least privilege ensures that even if credentials are exposed, their scope of access remains limited. Additionally, regular security training for development teams and implementation of secure coding standards can prevent future occurrences of this type of vulnerability. This vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001, which covers credentials in source code, highlighting the need for comprehensive security controls throughout the software development lifecycle to prevent such exposures.