CVE-2021-38899 : Exploit Details and Defense Strategies

IBM Cloud Pak for Data version 2.5 has a vulnerability that could allow a local user with special privileges to obtain highly sensitive information.

Understanding CVE-2021-38899

This CVE was made public on September 17, 2021, by IBM.

What is CVE-2021-38899?

CVE-2021-38899 affects IBM Cloud Pak for Data version 2.5, potentially enabling a local user with elevated privileges to access confidential data.

The Impact of CVE-2021-38899

The vulnerability poses a medium-severity risk with high confidentiality impact, as classified by the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) base score of 4.4.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-38899

The vulnerability details are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

The flaw allows a privileged local user to extract highly sensitive information.

Affected Systems and Versions

Cloud Pak for Data version 2.5 by IBM is affected by this vulnerability.

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability requires high privileges from a local user, with an unproven exploit code maturity.

Mitigation and Prevention

Take immediate actions to secure your system and follow long-term security practices.

Immediate Steps to Take

Audit user privileges, restrict access, and monitor sensitive data usage.

Long-Term Security Practices

Implement the principle of least privilege, conduct regular security assessments, and educate users on data handling best practices.

Patching and Updates

Apply official fixes provided by IBM to remediate CVE-2021-38899.