CVE-2023-35017
📋 TL;DR
IBM Security Verify Governance 10.0.2 Identity Manager transmits user credentials in clear text during communication, allowing attackers to intercept them via man-in-the-middle attacks. This affects organizations using the vulnerable version of IBM's identity management software.
💻 Affected Systems
- IBM Security Verify Governance Identity Manager
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Attackers intercept administrative or user credentials, leading to complete system compromise, privilege escalation, and unauthorized access to sensitive identity management data.
Likely Case
Credential theft enabling unauthorized access to the identity management system, potentially allowing attackers to modify user permissions or access other integrated systems.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper network segmentation, encryption, and monitoring are in place to detect and prevent credential interception attempts.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires network access to intercept traffic; no authentication needed for interception itself.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Apply interim fix or upgrade as per IBM advisory
Vendor Advisory: https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7172423
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Review IBM advisory. 2. Apply recommended interim fix or upgrade to patched version. 3. Restart services. 4. Verify encryption is enabled for all credential transmissions.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable TLS/SSL Encryption
allConfigure the application to use TLS/SSL for all network communications to encrypt credential transmissions.
Refer to IBM documentation for TLS configuration specific to IBM Security Verify Governance
Network Segmentation
allIsolate the Identity Manager system in a protected network segment to limit exposure to potential attackers.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network-level encryption (e.g., VPN or IPSec) for all traffic to/from the Identity Manager
- Deploy network monitoring and intrusion detection to alert on credential interception attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if IBM Security Verify Governance Identity Manager version is 10.0.2 and review configuration for unencrypted credential transmission.Check Version:
Check version through IBM Security Verify Governance administrative interface or configuration files.Verify Fix Applied:
Verify that the software version has been updated per IBM advisory and test that credentials are transmitted over encrypted channels only.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Failed authentication attempts from unexpected sources
- Unusual login patterns or access from new locations
Network Indicators:
- Unencrypted HTTP traffic containing credential data
- Suspicious network sniffing activity on relevant ports
SIEM Query:
Search for events where authentication occurs over non-TLS/SSL protocols or from unexpected IP addresses.