CVE-2018-1481
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 BigFix Platform 9.2.0 through 9.2.14 and 9.5 through 9.5.9 stores sensitive information in URL parameters. This may lead to information disclosure if unauthorized parties have access to the URLs via server logs, referrer header or browser history. IBM X-Force ID: 140763.
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 · moderate confidenceIBM BigFix Platform versions 9.2.0-9.2.14 and 9.5-9.5.9 improperly stores sensitive information in URL parameters. This exposes sensitive data (likely credentials, session tokens, or authentication data) through server logs, browser history, and referrer headers, allowing unauthorized parties to potentially access this information.
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>= 9.2.0, <= 9.2.14>= 9.5, <= 9.5.9CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 the installed IBM BigFix Platform versionOpen the BigFix console and navigate to Help > About BigFix, or check the version displayed on the login page. On the server, the version is also recorded in the BESServer.exe file properties or in the BigFix installation directory.Affected if The version falls within 9.2.0 through 9.2.14, or 9.5 through 9.5.9.
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Review BigFix server logs for sensitive data in URL query stringsLocate the BigFix server logs (typically in the logs subdirectory of the BigFix installation). Search the logs for HTTP requests where URL parameters contain what appear to be credentials, session tokens, or authentication data.Affected if Server logs show sensitive values such as usernames, passwords, session IDs, or tokens appearing in URL query string parameters.
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Examine browser history or proxy logs for URL-based credentialsIf you have access to the BigFix web reports or a proxy server logging traffic, inspect HTTP requests from users authenticating to BigFix. Look for GET requests where authentication credentials appear in the URL.Affected if Browser history, web reports, or proxy logs reveal user credentials or session tokens being transmitted as URL parameters.
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Check referrer header exposure of sensitive URL parametersReview downstream server logs that receive referrer headers from BigFix client requests. Look for logged referrer URLs that contain sensitive query string data.Affected if Referrer logs or third-party server logs capture BigFix URLs with sensitive parameters in the referrer field.
A user is affected if their IBM BigFix Platform version is 9.2.0-9.2.14 or 9.5-9.5.9 AND sensitive authentication data is observed being transmitted via URL parameters in logs, browser history, or referrer headers.
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 dataMigrate sensitive data transmission from URL parameters to POST request bodies or secure HTTP headers; implement URL parameter sanitization for logs; consider rotating potentially exposed credentials.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-1481 — 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-2018-1481 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data