CVE-2021-29742
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2021-29742 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in IBM Security Verify Access Docker 10.0.0 that allows an authenticated user to impersonate another user on the system. This affects organizations using IBM Security Verify Access Docker 10.0.0 for identity and access management. The vulnerability enables privilege escalation and unauthorized access to sensitive resources.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Security Verify Access Docker
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could impersonate administrative users, gain full control over the identity management system, access all protected resources, and potentially compromise the entire authentication infrastructure.
Likely Case
Attackers with valid credentials could impersonate higher-privileged users to access sensitive applications and data they shouldn't have permission to access.
If Mitigated
With proper network segmentation, monitoring, and least privilege access controls, impact would be limited to specific applications rather than the entire infrastructure.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires authenticated access but the exploit mechanism appears straightforward based on IBM's description.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply fix from IBM Fix Central or upgrade to a later version
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6471895
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Access IBM Fix Central 2. Search for CVE-2021-29742 3. Download and apply the fix 4. Restart the Docker container 5. Verify the fix is applied
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Network Segmentation
linuxRestrict access to IBM Security Verify Access Docker containers to only trusted networks and users
Use firewall rules to limit access: iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [container_port] -s [trusted_network] -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport [container_port] -j DROP
Enhanced Monitoring
linuxImplement strict monitoring for user impersonation attempts and unusual authentication patterns
Configure audit logging: auditctl -a always,exit -F arch=b64 -S execve -k user_impersonation
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls and network segmentation to limit who can access the vulnerable system
- Enable detailed audit logging and monitor for user impersonation attempts and unusual authentication patterns
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if running IBM Security Verify Access Docker version 10.0.0: docker ps --format 'table {{.Names}}\t{{.Image}}' | grep verify-accessCheck Version:
docker exec [container_name] /opt/ibm/isva/bin/versionInfo.shVerify Fix Applied:
Verify the fix is applied by checking the container version and confirming it's no longer 10.0.0, or check with IBM support tools for patch verification📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Multiple user sessions from same IP with different user IDs
- Rapid user switching in authentication logs
- Failed impersonation attempts in audit logs
Network Indicators:
- Unusual authentication traffic patterns
- Multiple authentication requests from single source to different user accounts
SIEM Query:
source="ibm_verify_access" AND (event_type="user_switch" OR event_type="impersonation")