CVE-2018-1786 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

IBM Spectrum Protect versions 7.1 and 8.1 are affected by a vulnerability that can lead to a denial of service due to TCP/IP socket accumulation issues.

Understanding CVE-2018-1786

This CVE involves a vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Protect versions 7.1 and 8.1 that can result in a denial of service attack.

What is CVE-2018-1786?

The issue arises from the dsmc and dsmcad processes in IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1, which incorrectly accumulate TCP/IP sockets, leading to a state called CLOSE_WAIT. This accumulation can cause a leakage of TCP/IP resources, potentially resulting in a denial of service. The vulnerability is associated with IBM X-Force ID 148871.

The Impact of CVE-2018-1786

The impact of this vulnerability is rated as MEDIUM severity with a CVSS base score of 5.3. The attack complexity is low, and the exploit code maturity is unproven. The vulnerability can lead to a denial of service due to TCP/IP resource leakage.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-1786

This section provides more technical insights into the vulnerability.

Vulnerability Description

The dsmc and dsmcad processes in IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1 incorrectly accumulate TCP/IP sockets, leading to a CLOSE_WAIT state, which can result in a denial of service.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Spectrum Protect
Vendor: IBM
Versions Affected: 7.1, 8.1

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability can be exploited by malicious actors to cause a denial of service by leveraging the accumulation of TCP/IP sockets in the CLOSE_WAIT state.

Mitigation and Prevention

To address CVE-2018-1786, follow these mitigation strategies:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the official fix provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
Monitor network traffic for any signs of exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch IBM Spectrum Protect to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential denial of service attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that you stay up to date with security patches and updates provided by IBM for Spectrum Protect.