CVE-2016-6026
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 · uneditedThe Configuration Manager in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy (SSP) 3.4.2 before 3.4.2.0 iFix 8 and 3.4.3 before 3.4.3.0 iFix 1 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to obtain sensitive information via an HTTP method that is neither GET nor POST.
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 confidenceThe Configuration Manager in IBM Sterling Secure Proxy contains a vulnerability where HTTP requests using non-standard methods (neither GET nor POST) are not properly handled, allowing a man-in-the-middle attacker positioned between the client and server to intercept and obtain sensitive information. The flaw exists in versions 3.4.2 before iFix 8 and 3.4.3 before iFix 1.
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= 3.4.2.0= 3.4.3.0CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/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 IBM Sterling Secure Proxy installationLocate the Sterling Secure Proxy installation directory and check the version.info file or run 'version.bat' or 'version.sh' from the installation bin folderAffected if The displayed version shows 3.4.2.0 or 3.4.3.0 without the applicable iFix applied
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Determine iFix level appliedIn the installation directory, check for a file named 'ifixes.txt' or 'install_history.xml' in the logs or config folder, or run the IBM deployment manager to view installed iFixesAffected if No iFix is installed, or the installed iFix is earlier than iFix 8 for version 3.4.2, or earlier than iFix 1 for version 3.4.3
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Verify Configuration Manager component is in useCheck if Configuration Manager is deployed by reviewing the Sterling Secure Proxy administration console or the 'cm_config.xml' configuration file in the config directoryAffected if Configuration Manager is active and configured to handle HTTP traffic from clients or back-end servers
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Check communication security for Configuration ManagerReview the Configuration Manager listener settings in the admin console or in 'cm_config.xml' to determine if TLS/SSL encryption is enabled for the HTTP listener portAffected if TLS/SSL encryption is NOT enabled for Configuration Manager communications, leaving traffic vulnerable to interception
You are affected if running Sterling Secure Proxy version 3.4.2.0 before iFix 8 or 3.4.3.0 before iFix 1 with Configuration Manager using unencrypted HTTP connections.
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 dataUpgrade IBM Sterling Secure Proxy to version 3.4.2.0 iFix 8 or 3.4.3.0 iFix 1 or later. Until then, consider using TLS/SSL encryption for all Configuration Manager communications and restricting network access to trusted parties to mitigate MITM attacks.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6026 — 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-2016-6026 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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