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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 15 Jun 2022. Known ransomware use
Infosphere BiginsightsApplication · Ibm

CVE-2013-3993

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2014-07-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.1.0.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
IBM InfoSphere BigInsights before 2.1.0.3 allows remote authenticated users to bypass intended file and directory restrictions, or access untrusted data or code, via crafted parameters in unspecified API calls.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

IBM InfoSphere BigInsights before version 2.1.0.3 contains an authorization bypass vulnerability where remote authenticated users can circumvent file and directory restrictions through crafted parameters in unspecified API calls, potentially enabling access to untrusted data or code.

MitigationUpgrade IBM InfoSphere BigInsights to version 2.1.0.3 or later to remediate the authorization bypass vulnerability.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Infosphere BiginsightsApplication
Affected:< 2.1.0.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm IBM InfoSphere BigInsights is installed
    Locate the BigInsights installation directory, typically under /opt/ibm/biginsights or C:\Program Files\IBM\biginsights, or check for the biginsights service/process running on the system
    Affected if BigInsights is not found on the system, the vulnerability does not apply
  2. Determine the installed BigInsights version
    Locate the version file in the installation directory, or run the command-line version checker if available (such as 'biginsights --version' or checking version.info in the install root)
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 2.1.0.3, indicating the system is potentially affected
  3. Verify if remote authentication is enabled
    Check the BigInsights authentication configuration files (typically in the conf or config subdirectory) to determine if remote user authentication is permitted
    Affected if Remote authentication is enabled and the version is below 2.1.0.3, the authorization bypass can potentially be exploited
  4. Check if API endpoints are accessible
    Review the BigInsights web console or API configuration to confirm whether the unspecified API calls that could accept crafted parameters are exposed
    Affected if API endpoints are accessible externally and the version is below 2.1.0.3, the vulnerability is exploitable

If IBM InfoSphere BigInsights is installed with a version earlier than 2.1.0.3 and has remote authentication and accessible API endpoints, the environment is likely affected by this authorization bypass vulnerability.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.1.0.3 or later
Fixed in 2.1.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade IBM InfoSphere BigInsights to version 2.1.0.3 or later to remediate the authorization bypass vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM InfoSphere BigInsights 2.1.0.3

  1. Download IBM InfoSphere BigInsights version 2.1.0.3 or later from IBM Fix Central or Passport Advantage
  2. Stop all BigInsights services and ensure no jobs are running
  3. Back up the existing BigInsights installation and configuration data
  4. Install version 2.1.0.3 following the IBM installation documentation
  5. Verify the installation completed successfully
  6. Restart BigInsights services
  7. Confirm the path traversal vulnerability is resolved by testing file access restrictions
Caveat Review IBM BigInsights 2.1.0.3 release notes for any compatibility changes or required migration steps before upgrading

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Infosphere Biginsights Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-3993 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data