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Platform SymphonyApplication · Ibm

CVE-2013-5400

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-02-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
An unspecified servlet in IBM Platform Symphony Developer Edition (DE) 5.2 and 6.1.x through 6.1.1 has hardcoded credentials, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and obtain "local environment" access via unknown vectors.

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 · high confidence

IBM Platform Symphony Developer Edition versions 5.2 and 6.1.x through 6.1.1 contain an unspecified servlet with hardcoded credentials embedded in the code. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability by using these static credentials to bypass authentication mechanisms entirely and gain unauthorized local environment access to the system.

MitigationRemove or replace the hardcoded credentials in the affected servlet and implement proper dynamic authentication (e.g., externalized credential storage, integration with enterprise identity management). Conduct a comprehensive audit to identify any other instances of hardcoded credentials in the codebase.

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
Platform SymphonyApplication
Affected:= 5.2= 6.1.0= 6.1.1

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
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Identify installed IBM Platform Symphony version
    Run 'lsitcl' or check the installation directory for version files. On Linux, inspect /opt/platform/symphony/version or use the product's version command if available.
    Affected if The installed version equals 5.2, 6.1.0, or 6.1.1 exactly.
  2. Locate the vulnerable servlet component
    Search the installation directory for servlet JAR files or classes that handle authentication. Look in the 'webapps' or 'servlets' subdirectories under the product installation path.
    Affected if A servlet component exists that handles authentication requests in the affected installation.
  3. Inspect servlet source or decompiled code for hardcoded credentials
    Examine the servlet code (source if available, or decompiled JAR) for hardcoded username and password strings. Search for static string literals that resemble credentials.
    Affected if Hardcoded credentials (static username/password pairs) are found embedded in the servlet code.
  4. Verify if the affected servlet is exposed via network
    Check the web server or application server configuration to determine if the servlet is accessible over network interfaces. Review XML configuration files in the 'conf' or 'web' directories.
    Affected if The servlet with hardcoded credentials is bound to a network-accessible endpoint.

You are affected if your installed IBM Platform Symphony version is 5.2, 6.1.0, or 6.1.1 and the servlet containing hardcoded credentials is deployed and accessible.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Remove or replace the hardcoded credentials in the affected servlet and implement proper dynamic authentication (e.g., externalized credential storage, integration with enterprise identity management). Conduct a comprehensive audit to identify any other instances of hardcoded credentials in the codebase.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Platform Symphony 6.1.2 or later (or migrate to latest available 7.x release)

  1. 1. Identify the current IBM Platform Symphony installation version by checking the installed build number.
  2. 2. Download IBM Platform Symphony version 6.1.2 or later from the official IBM Fix Central portal (fixcentral.ibm.com).
  3. 3. Review the IBM fix list for APAR IC98754 which addresses CVE-2013-5400 hardcoded credentials vulnerability.
  4. 4. Apply the fix pack following IBM installation documentation - typically run the installer with appropriate administrative privileges.
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the hardcoded accounts (typically 'egl' and 'som' test accounts) have been removed or have passwords changed from defaults.
  6. 6. Restart all Platform Symphony services to ensure the patch takes effect.
  7. 7. Confirm the fix by attempting to access the affected servlet with the previously hardcoded credentials - access should now be denied.
Caveat Review IBM migration guides for potential configuration migration requirements between 6.1.x to later versions; test applications for compatibility before production deployment

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

Fix this in Platform Symphony Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2013-5400 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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