CVE-2024-38320
Published: 27 January 2025
Summary
CVE-2024-38320 is a medium-severity Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (CWE-327) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 5.9 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked at the 19.7th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SC-13 (Cryptographic Protection) and SC-28 (Protection of Information at Rest).
Threat & Defense at a Glance
Threat & Defense Details
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5)AI
Directly mandates FIPS-validated cryptographic mechanisms to prevent decryption of sensitive information protected by weak algorithms as in CVE-2024-38320.
Requires timely identification, reporting, and correction of system flaws like CVE-2024-38320 through patching weak cryptographic implementations.
Implements cryptographic mechanisms to protect confidentiality of sensitive backup data at rest, directly countering weak algorithm vulnerabilities in storage protect software.
NVD Description
IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware and Storage Protect Backup-Archive Client 8.1.0.0 through 8.1.23.0 uses weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms that could allow an attacker to decrypt highly sensitive information.
Deeper analysisAI
CVE-2024-38320 is a cryptographic weakness (CWE-327) in IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments: Data Protection for VMware and Storage Protect Backup-Archive Client, affecting versions 8.1.0.0 through 8.1.23.0. These components use weaker than expected cryptographic algorithms, potentially enabling an attacker to decrypt highly sensitive information. The vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N), indicating medium severity primarily due to high confidentiality impact.
An unauthenticated attacker (PR:N) can exploit this over the network (AV:N) without user interaction (UI:N), though it requires high attack complexity (AC:H). Exploitation yields high confidentiality impact (C:H), allowing decryption of sensitive data, with no effects on integrity, availability, or scope change.
IBM has published security bulletins detailing mitigations and patches at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7173462 and https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7173465. Security practitioners should review these for upgrade instructions to address the weak algorithms.
Details
- CWE(s)