CVE-2018-1389
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 API Connect 5.0.0.0 through 5.0.8.2 is impacted by generated LoopBack APIs for a Model using the BelongsTo/HasMany relationship allowing unauthorized modification of information. IBM X-Force ID: 138213.
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 API Connect 5.0.0.0 through 5.0.8.2 generates LoopBack APIs for models with BelongsTo/HasMany relationships that lack proper authorization controls, allowing authenticated users with limited privileges to modify data they should not have access to.
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>= 5.0.0.0, <= 5.0.8.2CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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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Check IBM API Connect versionLocate the installed version of IBM API Connect in the system. This is typically found in the product's About section, installation directory, or by querying the API Connect management interface. Common locations include the Cloud Management console under Settings or the installation logs.Affected if The installed version is between 5.0.0.0 and 5.0.8.2 inclusive.
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Identify LoopBack model definitionsLocate the LoopBack model definition files in your API Connect project. These are typically JSON files in the /common/models/ or similar directory structure, with filenames matching your model names and containing 'relations' sections.Affected if LoopBack models with BelongsTo or HasMany relationship definitions exist in the project.
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Inspect relationship configurationsOpen each model's JSON definition file and examine the 'relations' section. Look for entries that specify 'belongsTo' or 'hasMany' as the relation type. Document which models have these relationships configured.Affected if Models contain BelongsTo or HasMany relationship definitions in the model JSON files.
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Verify ACL rules on related modelsExamine the 'acls' array in each model definition file that contains BelongsTo/HasMany relationships. Check whether ACL rules are explicitly defined for the related model access paths (such as modelName.relationName access). Look for 'accessType' and 'permission' settings in the ACL configuration.Affected if No explicit ACL rules are defined for BelongsTo/HasMany relationship access paths, or ACLs permit access that should be restricted.
You are affected if your IBM API Connect version is 5.0.0.0 through 5.0.8.2 AND you use LoopBack models with BelongsTo/HasMany relationships that lack proper ACL rules for controlling access through those relationships.
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 IBM API Connect security patches for versions 5.0.0.0-5.0.8.2 or upgrade to a supported version. Review and enforce proper ACL (Access Control List) rules on LoopBack models using BelongsTo/HasMany relationships.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1389 — 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-2018-1389 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
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