CVE-2016-0252
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 · uneditedIBM Control Center 6.x before 6.0.0.1 iFix06 and Sterling Control Center 5.4.x before 5.4.2.1 iFix09 allow local users to decrypt the master key via unspecified 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 confidenceIBM Control Center 6.x before 6.0.0.1 iFix06 and Sterling Control Center 5.4.x before 5.4.2.1 iFix09 contain a vulnerability allowing local authenticated users to decrypt the master key through unspecified vectors. The master key is used to encrypt sensitive data within the control center, so its exposure could enable further data compromise.
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= 6.0.0.0= 5.4.0.0= 5.4.0.1= 5.4.1= 5.4.1.0= 5.4.2= 5.4.2.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed product and versionLocate and inspect the product version information for IBM Control Center or Sterling Control Center using the product's built-in version display utility, about dialog, or version file. This is typically accessible from the product's administration interface or via a version command-line option.Affected if The version displayed is 6.0.0.0 for IBM Control Center, or any of 5.4.0.0, 5.4.0.1, 5.4.1, 5.4.1.0, 5.4.2, or 5.4.2.0 for Sterling Control Center, indicating an affected version.
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Confirm product editionVerify whether the installed product is IBM Control Center or Sterling Control Center, as both are affected by this vulnerability. Check the product name in the installation directory, start menu entry, or administration console.Affected if The installed product is either IBM Control Center version 6.x or Sterling Control Center version 5.4.x.
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Determine if master key feature is in useCheck whether the master key functionality is enabled or configured within the control center. This typically involves examining the security or encryption configuration settings within the product's administration interface.Affected if The master key feature is enabled or has been configured, meaning sensitive data is encrypted using the master key.
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Check for installed iFix patchesReview the installed patches or fix levels applied to the control center. This information is usually available through the product's patch management interface, about screen, or a system information command that lists applied iFixes.Affected if No iFix patches are installed, or the installed iFix level is below 6.0.0.1 iFix06 for IBM Control Center or below 5.4.2.1 iFix09 for Sterling Control Center, indicating the vulnerability remains unpatched.
If the installed version matches an affected version listed (6.0.0.0 for IBM Control Center, or any 5.4.x variant for Sterling Control Center) and the master key feature is in use without the corresponding vendor iFix applied, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the vendor-supplied iFix patches (6.0.0.1 iFix06 for IBM Control Center 6.x, 5.4.2.1 iFix09 for Sterling Control Center 5.4.x) and consider rotating the master key after patching to ensure any potential key exposure is invalidated.
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- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0252 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0252 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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