CVE-2017-1601
📋 TL;DR
IBM Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor versions 10.0 through 10.1.4 do not enforce strong password policies by default, allowing attackers to more easily compromise user accounts through brute-force or credential guessing attacks. This affects all deployments using default password settings.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor
📦 What is this software?
Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor by Ibm
View all CVEs affecting Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor →
Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor by Ibm
View all CVEs affecting Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor →
Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor by Ibm
View all CVEs affecting Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor →
Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor by Ibm
View all CVEs affecting Security Guardium Database Activity Monitor →
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers gain administrative access to the Guardium system, allowing them to disable monitoring, exfiltrate sensitive database activity data, or use Guardium as a pivot point to attack monitored databases.
Likely Case
Attackers compromise standard user accounts to access sensitive database monitoring data, potentially exposing confidential information about database activities and structures.
If Mitigated
With strong password policies enforced, risk is significantly reduced to brute-force attacks against properly configured accounts with monitoring and alerting in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authentication attempts but is trivial with weak passwords. No special tools needed beyond standard password guessing/brute-force tools.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply fix from IBM Security Bulletin
Vendor Advisory: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22014230
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the fix from IBM Fix Central. 2. Apply the fix according to IBM documentation. 3. Restart Guardium services. 4. Verify password policies are now enforced.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enforce Strong Password Policy
allManually configure Guardium to require strong passwords (minimum length, complexity, expiration)
Use Guardium GUI: Configuration > Security > Password Policy
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to restrict access to Guardium management interfaces
- Enable multi-factor authentication if supported
- Implement account lockout policies after failed attempts
- Monitor authentication logs for brute-force attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if password policy is configured in Guardium GUI: Configuration > Security > Password Policy. Default settings indicate vulnerability.Check Version:
grdapi getVersionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify password policy is enforced by attempting to set a weak password for a test account.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed authentication attempts from single source
- Successful logins from unusual locations/times
- Password change attempts to weaker passwords
Network Indicators:
- Brute-force patterns to Guardium web/API interfaces
- Unusual authentication traffic volume
SIEM Query:
source="guardium" AND (event_type="authentication_failure" AND count > 10 within 5min) OR (event_type="authentication_success" AND user="admin" AND src_ip NOT IN allowed_ips)🔗 References
- http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22014230
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040899
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/132624
- http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg22014230
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040899
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/132624
