CVE-2026-113693 in IT Service Management Suite
Summary
by MITRE • 10/29/2026
Exposure of sensitive information in the SmartIT system-account settings of BMC IT Service Management Suite versions 25.3.01, 25.4.01, and 26.1.01 allows authenticated users to retrieve a system username and encrypted password value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2026
The vulnerability identified in the SmartIT system-account settings of BMC IT Service Management Suite versions 25.3.01, 25.4.01, and 26.1.01 represents a critical failure in access control mechanisms that results in the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive authentication credentials. This flaw allows authenticated users to retrieve both the system username and an encrypted password value associated with other user accounts or system-level configurations within the application interface. While the passwords are stored in an encrypted format, the exposure of these ciphertext values alongside valid usernames creates a significant security risk by facilitating offline brute-force attacks or credential stuffing attempts if the encryption key is compromised or if weak hashing algorithms were used for storage. This type of vulnerability falls squarely under CWE-200, which classifies it as Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, and aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1539, specifically referring to Steal Web Session Cookie, although in this context, the stolen data pertains more directly to credential harvesting via API or UI endpoints rather than session tokens.
From a technical perspective, the root cause likely stems from insufficient authorization checks on the backend APIs or server-side functions that handle account settings retrieval operations. In many enterprise service management platforms, administrative interfaces often expose detailed user profiles for auditing and configuration purposes. However, when these endpoints do not strictly enforce role-based access control (RBAC) to verify whether the requesting authenticated user has sufficient privileges to view another user's credentials, it leads to a vertical privilege escalation scenario where lower-privileged users can access data reserved for higher-privileged administrators or system services. The presence of encrypted passwords in this context suggests that while confidentiality is partially maintained through encryption at rest, the transmission and retrieval mechanisms fail to protect these artifacts from unauthorized parties who have valid login credentials but lack the necessary permissions to view such sensitive details. This indicates a gap in both input validation and output encoding controls regarding what data fields are returned based on user roles.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial for organizations relying on BMC IT Service Management Suite for their service desk operations. Attackers who exploit this flaw can accumulate a database of valid usernames paired with encrypted password hashes. Even without immediate decryption, these credentials provide valuable intelligence that aids in further attack phases such as social engineering or offline cracking attempts using specialized tools like Hashcat or John the Ripper if the encryption scheme is known to be weak. Furthermore, the exposure undermines the principle of least privilege and compromises the integrity of identity management processes within the organization. It may also lead to non-compliance with regulatory frameworks such as GDPR or HIPAA due to the improper handling and disclosure of personally identifiable information and authentication secrets. The ability to enumerate valid usernames also aids attackers in crafting targeted phishing campaigns, increasing the likelihood of successful credential theft through social engineering tactics that mimic internal support requests.
To mitigate this vulnerability, immediate remediation should focus on implementing strict access control policies at both the application logic level and the API gateway layer. Developers must ensure that endpoints responsible for retrieving account settings validate not only authentication but also authorization, ensuring that users can only view or modify their own profile information unless they possess explicit administrative privileges designated by role-based access controls. Additionally, it is advisable to review how sensitive data such as password hashes are handled during retrieval operations; ideally, these fields should be excluded from API responses entirely for non-administrative roles. Organizations should also enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all user accounts to reduce the value of stolen credentials and regularly audit access logs to detect any anomalous patterns indicative of credential harvesting activities. Keeping the BMC IT Service Management Suite updated to patched versions that address this specific flaw is essential, along with conducting regular penetration testing focused on broken object level authorization vulnerabilities to prevent similar exposures in future updates or custom integrations.