IBM Guardium Data Protection Plaintext Password Exposure

Executive Summary

IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.2 stores internal REST service-account passwords in a reversible plaintext-equivalent format. An authenticated attacker who gains access to these stored credentials could recover the password and obtain an administrative REST access token.

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Detection Guidance

To detect this vulnerability, inspect IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.2 for stored internal REST service-account passwords in plaintext or reversible formats. Check configuration files, logs, or database entries for credentials. No specific commands are provided in the context.

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Impact Analysis

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to gain administrative access to the system by recovering passwords and obtaining REST access tokens. This could lead to unauthorized data access, manipulation, or system control.

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Compliance Impact

This vulnerability could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, violating compliance requirements for data protection such as GDPR and HIPAA. It may result in legal penalties, loss of certification, and reputational damage.

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Mitigation Strategies

Rotate all internal REST service-account passwords stored in IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.2 immediately. Review and restrict access to systems where these credentials are stored. Apply any vendor-provided patches or updates to address the plaintext-equivalent storage issue.

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