Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2024-52902 is a high-severity Use of Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798) vulnerability in Ibm Cognos Controller. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Unsecured Credentials (T1552); ranked at the 28th 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) and SC-12 (Cryptographic Key Establishment and Management) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2024-52902 is a high-severity vulnerability (CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8) affecting IBM Cognos Controller versions 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and the IBM Controller 11.1.0 client application. The issue stems from hard-coded database passwords embedded in the source code (CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials), which exposes credentials that could enable unauthorized system access. Published on 2025-02-19, this flaw allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms by extracting and reusing the static passwords.
An attacker with low privileges (PR:L), such as an authenticated user with network access (AV:N), can exploit this vulnerability with low complexity (AC:L) and no user interaction (UI:N). Successful exploitation grants unauthorized access to the database and underlying system, resulting in high impacts on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H) within the unchanged scope (S:U). This could lead to data exfiltration, modification, or disruption of IBM Controller services.
IBM has issued a security advisory with details on mitigation and patching at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7183597. Security practitioners should review this bulletin for version-specific fixes and apply updates promptly to affected deployments.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-4691
Vulnerability Data
IBM Cognos Controller 11.0.0 through 11.0.1 FP3 and IBM Controller 11.1.0 client application contains hard coded database passwords in source code which could be used for unauthorized access to the system.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Authenticator management requires secure distribution and handling of credentials, structurally discouraging hard-coded values.
Cryptographic key management mandates proper establishment and handling instead of embedding keys in code.
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.AA-01's credential/key-management processes can reduce the incentive to embed secrets but do not address or detect hard-coded values in source code, so the weakness remains fully possible.
PR.AA-02 addresses human identity proofing and per-person credential issuance at enrollment; it has no bearing on whether developers embed static credentials in software.
PR.DS-01 addresses encryption and integrity of stored data but never touches credential or key management practices, so it neither prevents hard-coded credentials nor removes any of their risk.
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.
Education on secure configuration practices discourages technical staff from embedding or relying on hard-coded credentials in systems and applications.
Secure key-generation, distribution and storage procedures reduce the likelihood that hard-coded or default cryptographic keys will be introduced or left unprotected.
Explicit prohibition of hard-coded passwords and unauthenticated external services stops credentials from being embedded directly in source code.
Contractual requirements for secure coding practices and evidence of testing make it less likely that hard-coded credentials will be introduced or remain undetected in delivered code.
Requiring independent oversight and timely disabling of non-human identities makes it harder for hard-coded or long-lived credentials to remain exploitable.
Mandating immediate replacement of vendor-supplied default credentials eliminates the use of hard-coded or factory passwords that attackers can trivially obtain from documentation or firmware.