dbcve.org
Security Access ManagerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-3028

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Security Access Manager for Web 7.0 before IF2 and 8.0 before 8.0.1.4 IF3 and Security Access Manager 9.0 before 9.0.1.0 IF5 allow remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary commands by leveraging LMI admin access.

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 Security Access Manager for Web versions 7.0 before IF2, 8.0 before 8.0.1.4 IF3, and 9.0 before 9.0.1.0 IF5 contain a command injection vulnerability in the Local Management Interface (LMI). Remote attackers with admin-level LMI credentials can execute arbitrary operating system commands on the underlying host, potentially leading to complete system compromise.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied interim fixes (IF2 for v7.0, IF3 for v8.0.1.4, IF5 for v9.0.1.0) to patch this vulnerability. Immediately restrict LMI access to trusted networks and enforce strong authentication for admin accounts.

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
Security Access ManagerApplication
Affected:= 9.0.0= 9.0.0.1= 9.0.1.0
Security Access Manager For WebApplication
Affected:= 7.0.0= 8.0.0= 8.0.0.2= 8.0.0.4= 8.0.0.5= 8.0.1= 8.0.1.2= 8.0.1.3= 8.0.1.4

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 IBM Security Access Manager for Web installation
    Locate the ISAM for Web installation directory or check running services. Common paths include /opt/IBM/isam or C:\Program Files\IBM\isam on Windows. Look for the isam-web process or verify the product via the pdadmin command if available.
    Affected if The product is not installed or this is a different IBM security product (not ISAM for Web)
  2. Determine installed version
    Run the version check command for your installation. On Linux/Unix, check /opt/IBM/isam version file or use the console version command. On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or the version.ini in the installation directory. The exact command varies by OS - consult IBM documentation for your specific version.
    Affected if The installed version falls within these vulnerable ranges: 7.0.0 (before IF2), 8.0.0 through 8.0.1.4 (before IF3), or 9.0.0 through 9.0.1.0 (before IF5)
  3. Verify if Local Management Interface is enabled
    Check the LMI configuration file (typically lmi.xml or isam-lmi.cfg in the config directory). Confirm whether the LMI service is running by checking the ports (default 443/9443 for HTTPS) or querying the service status.
    Affected if LMI is enabled and listening on a network-accessible port. The vulnerability only affects systems where LMI is active.
  4. Confirm LMI admin credentials exist
    Review the LMI user configuration or check if admin-level accounts are defined in the local authentication database. Use pdadmin to list LMI users if available, or inspect the user repository configuration.
    Affected if Admin-level LMI credentials are configured. The flaw requires valid admin credentials to exploit, though any compromised admin account enables remote exploitation.
  5. Check if interim fix has been applied
    Query the installed fixes or interim fixes. On the appliance console, view the fix list or check the version with fix pack information. Look specifically for IF2 (v7.0), IF3 (v8.0.1.4), or IF5 (v9.0.1.0).
    Affected if The specific interim fix for your version is NOT installed - the vulnerability remains unpatched.

You are affected if IBM Security Access Manager for Web is installed with a vulnerable version (7.0 before IF2, 8.0.1.4 before IF3, or 9.0.1.0 before IF5) AND the Local Management Interface is enabled with admin credentials configured.

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

Apply the vendor-supplied interim fixes (IF2 for v7.0, IF3 for v8.0.1.4, IF5 for v9.0.1.0) to patch this vulnerability. Immediately restrict LMI access to trusted networks and enforce strong authentication for admin accounts.

Recommended fix High confidence

Security Access Manager 9.0.1.0 IF5 or later; Security Access Manager for Web 7.0 IF2 or later; Security Access Manager for Web 8.0.1.4 IF3 or later

  1. 1. Identify the specific IBM Security Access Manager product and version currently installed (either Security Access Manager 9.0.x, Security Access Manager for Web 7.0.x, or Security Access Manager for Web 8.0.x)
  2. 2. For Security Access Manager 9.0.0, 9.0.0.1, or 9.0.1.0: Apply Interim Fix 5 (IF5) to version 9.0.1.0, or upgrade to version 9.0.1.0 IF5 or later
  3. 3. For Security Access Manager for Web 7.0.0: Apply Interim Fix 2 (IF2), or upgrade to version 7.0.0 IF2 or later
  4. 4. For Security Access Manager for Web 8.0.0, 8.0.0.2, or 8.0.0.4: Apply Interim Fix 3 (IF3) to version 8.0.1.4, or upgrade to version 8.0.1.4 IF3 or later
  5. 5. After applying the fix, verify the LMI (Local Management Interface) administration interface is only accessible to trusted administrators
  6. 6. Review administrator access logs for any suspicious command execution attempts
Caveat Interim fixes (IFs) are IBM's cumulative patches; verify compatibility with other IBM Tivoli components in your environment before applying

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

Fix this in Security Access Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3028 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2016-3028 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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