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Bigfix InventoryApplication · Ibm

CVE-2016-8964

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-07-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 9.2.8 or later.
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
IBM BigFix Inventory v9 9.2 uses an inadequate account lockout setting that could allow a remote attacker to brute force account credentials. IBM X-Force ID: 118853.

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 BigFix Inventory v9.2 implements an inadequate account lockout policy that fails to lock user accounts after multiple failed authentication attempts. This allows remote attackers to systematically guess credentials through unlimited login attempts, enabling credential brute-forcing attacks against the application authentication mechanism.

MitigationImplement a proper account lockout policy that locks user accounts after a reasonable number of failed login attempts (typically 3-5) for a defined duration, and consider implementing multi-factor authentication or CAPTCHA to further mitigate automated brute force attempts.

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
Bigfix InventoryApplication
Affected:>= 9.0, < 9.2.8
License Metric ToolApplication
Affected:>= 9.0, < 9.2.8

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

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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 installed version of IBM BigFix Inventory or IBM License Metric Tool
    Locate the installation directory and check the version information, typically available in the product's About section, installation logs, or version file within the program directory
    Affected if The installed version is 9.0 through 9.2.7 (any version >= 9.0 but < 9.2.8)
  2. Verify the account lockout policy configuration
    Access the IBM BigFix Inventory or License Metric Tool administration console and navigate to the user authentication or security policy settings to examine the account lockout configuration
    Affected if The account lockout policy is disabled, set to allow unlimited failed attempts, or missing entirely from the security configuration
  3. Test login attempt behavior with incorrect credentials
    Attempt to log in with an incorrect password multiple times (5-10+ attempts) using a valid username to observe whether the account becomes locked or remains accessible
    Affected if The account remains accessible after multiple failed login attempts without any lockout or delay being enforced
  4. Check authentication logs for failed login tracking
    Review the application or system authentication logs to verify if there is any mechanism recording and limiting failed login attempts
    Affected if Logs show no account lockout events or rate limiting after numerous failed authentication attempts

Your environment is affected if you are running IBM BigFix Inventory or License Metric Tool version 9.0 through 9.2.7 and the application allows unlimited failed login attempts without triggering an account lockout.

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 9.2.8 or later
Fixed in 9.2.8
Interim mitigation

Implement a proper account lockout policy that locks user accounts after a reasonable number of failed login attempts (typically 3-5) for a defined duration, and consider implementing multi-factor authentication or CAPTCHA to further mitigate automated brute force attempts.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

BigFix Inventory / License Metric Tool 9.2.8 or later

  1. Verify current BigFix Inventory or License Metric Tool version by checking the console or using the version detection feature
  2. Download IBM BigFix Inventory version 9.2.8 or later from IBM Fix Central or authorized distribution channels
  3. Review IBM installation documentation for upgrade prerequisites
  4. Create a complete backup of the current installation including database and configuration files
  5. Stop all BigFix services before initiating the upgrade
  6. Run the upgrade installer following IBM's standard upgrade procedure
  7. After installation, verify the version has been updated to 9.2.8 or later
  8. Restart BigFix services and confirm all components are running
Caveat Review IBM release notes for 9.2.8 for any changes to functionality, database schema, or compatibility requirements before upgrading

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

Fix this in Bigfix Inventory Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,696.

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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-2016-8964 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