Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-38738

Ibm Openpages With Watson 8.3 – 8.3.0.2.7

Published
19 January 2024
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
View advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
EPSS Score 0.0053 42th percentile
Risk Priority 51 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-38738 is a medium-severity Storing Passwords in a Recoverable Format (CWE-257) vulnerability in Ibm Openpages With Watson. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Group Policy Preferences (T1552.006); ranked at the 42th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to IA-5 (Authenticator Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

IBM OpenPages with Watson 8.3 and 9.0 could provide weaker than expected security in a OpenPages environment using Native authentication. If OpenPages is using Native authentication an attacker with access to the OpenPages database could through a series of specially…

more

crafted steps could exploit this weakness and gain unauthorized access to other OpenPages accounts. IBM X-Force ID: 262594.

CWE(s)
CWE-257

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552.006 Group Policy Preferences Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to find unsecured credentials in Group Policy Preferences (GPP).
attack.mitre.org →
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
T1552.002 Credentials in Registry Credential Access
Adversaries may search the Registry on compromised systems for insecurely stored credentials.
attack.mitre.org →
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2024-35117Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49337Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2025-1112Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-43176Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49782Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49344Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49783Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-37527Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49779Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson
CVE-2024-49784Same product: Ibm Openpages With Watson

Affected Assets

ibm
openpages with watson
9.0 · 8.3 — 8.3.0.2.7

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

—

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

—

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

—

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V11.4.2
  • V11.4.4

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

IA-5 Authenticator Management good match

IA-5 requires proper management of authenticators including storage of passwords only in non-recoverable (hashed) form, directly stopping the weakness from existing.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.DS-01 mostly match
prevents

Protecting data-at-rest with cryptographic hashes directly prevents recoverable password storage.

PR.PS-06 partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices include requirements for non-recoverable password storage.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

A.5.17 Authentication information full match
degrades

Directly requires secure handling and protection of authentication information, preventing storage in recoverable formats.

A.8.5 Secure authentication full match
degrades

Mandates secure authentication mechanisms that preclude recoverable password storage.

A.8.24 Use of cryptography partial match
degrades

Requires proper use of cryptography, which can mitigate recoverable storage if applied correctly to passwords.

A.8.25 Secure development life cycle partial match
prevents

Secure SDLC includes requirements that reduce the likelihood of introducing recoverable password storage.

A.8.28 Secure coding partial match
prevents

Secure coding practices can prevent developers from implementing recoverable password storage.

References