CVE-2019-4336
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-4336 is an authentication vulnerability in IBM Robotic Process Automation with Automation Anywhere 11 where inadequate account lockout settings allow attackers to perform brute force attacks against user credentials. This affects organizations using the vulnerable IBM RPA software, potentially exposing administrative and user accounts to compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Robotic Process Automation with Automation Anywhere
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system takeover through administrator account compromise, leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or disruption of automated business processes.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to user accounts, credential harvesting, and lateral movement within the network to access sensitive data.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper account lockout policies, multi-factor authentication, and network segmentation in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Brute force attacks require no special tools or advanced skills - standard password spraying or credential stuffing tools can be used.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply the fix from IBM Security Bulletin
Vendor Advisory: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10884848
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download the security fix from IBM Fix Central. 2. Apply the patch following IBM's installation guide. 3. Restart the RPA services. 4. Verify the fix by testing account lockout functionality.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Implement Account Lockout Policy
allConfigure account lockout after a small number of failed login attempts (e.g., 5 attempts)
Configure via IBM RPA Control Room settings or Windows/Linux security policies
Network Segmentation
allRestrict access to RPA management interfaces to trusted networks only
Configure firewall rules to limit access to specific IP ranges
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strong password policies and multi-factor authentication
- Monitor authentication logs for brute force patterns and implement alerting
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test authentication by attempting multiple failed logins to see if account lockout triggers appropriatelyCheck Version:
Check IBM RPA version through Control Room interface or installation directoryVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify that account lockout occurs after configured number of failed attempts📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple failed login attempts from single IP
- Account lockout events
- Rapid authentication attempts
Network Indicators:
- High volume of authentication requests to RPA endpoints
- Traffic patterns showing credential stuffing
SIEM Query:
source="rpa_logs" AND (event_type="authentication_failure" count>5 within 5min)