Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
IBM Cloud Pak System may send authorization tokens or session cookies over unencrypted HTTP because the Secure cookie attribute is not set. If an attacker can observe that traffic, they may capture cookie values and gain limited confidentiality exposure. This is a moderate business risk, mainly where users or administrators can be induced onto HTTP links or networks are not fully trusted.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation during the next security maintenance window, sooner for internet-exposed or broadly reachable management environments. The issue can expose session cookies but sources show no active exploitation and no stated integrity or availability impact.
Technical view
CVE-2023-38281 affects listed IBM Cloud Pak System versions and IBM OS Image for Red Hat Linux Systems versions. The issue is missing Secure attributes on authorization tokens or session cookies, allowing cookies to be sent over HTTP. IBM rates it CVSS 3.1 score 5.3, network exploitable, low confidentiality impact, no integrity or availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to organizations running the affected IBM Cloud Pak System or listed IBM OS Image versions. Risk is higher where management sessions traverse untrusted networks, users can click HTTP links, or HTTP access is not strictly prevented.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not indicate active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the bundle. Exploitation depends on cookie transmission over HTTP and an attacker’s ability to observe traffic. The description mentions user interaction, while the supplied CVSS vector lists UI:N; treat this as source inconsistency.
Researcher notes
The bundle identifies CWE-209, though the described weakness aligns with insecure cookie transport controls. Validate against IBM’s advisory before classification changes. Do not assume affected products beyond the listed IBM Cloud Pak System and OS Image versions.
Mitigation direction
- Review IBM advisory 7254419 for the vendor-provided fix path.
- Upgrade or patch affected IBM Cloud Pak System versions per IBM guidance.
- Restrict HTTP access and prefer HTTPS-only administrative access.
- Reduce exposure of management interfaces to trusted networks only.
- Monitor for unexpected HTTP requests involving authenticated sessions.
Validation and detection
- Inventory IBM Cloud Pak System and OS Image versions against affected lists.
- Confirm whether vendor fixes from IBM advisory are applied.
- Inspect session cookies for the Secure attribute in affected interfaces.
- Verify authenticated cookies are not transmitted over HTTP.
- Check network controls limiting management access to trusted paths.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-209: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-38281 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N3.91.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.3MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7254419CVE reference · vendor-advisory, patch
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information
Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.