CVE-2021-29683
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 Security Identity Manager 7.0.2 stores user credentials in plain clear text which can be read by an authenticated user. IBM X-Force ID: 199998.
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 Security Identity Manager 7.0.2 stores user credentials in plaintext (unencrypted) within its data storage. An authenticated user with standard application access can read these plaintext credentials, leading to credential disclosure and potential account compromise.
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= 7.0.2CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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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Verify IBM Security Identity Manager versionCheck the installed version of IBM Security Identity Manager using the product's administration console, command line tools, or version information files. Compare against 7.0.2.Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.0.2.
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Locate credential data storageIdentify where IBM Security Identity Manager stores user credentials. This is typically a database (such as IBM DB2, Oracle, or Microsoft SQL Server) configured during installation. Consult the product documentation or configuration files for the data source connection details.Affected if The product uses its built-in data storage for user credentials.
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Inspect credential storage formatAccess the credential storage (database) using appropriate credentials and query the user or credential tables. Examine the password or credential fields to determine if they appear in plaintext or encrypted form. Encrypted credentials should display as hashed or ciphered strings; plaintext credentials will appear as readable text.Affected if User credentials are stored in plaintext (readable, unencrypted format) in the data storage.
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Verify encryption configurationCheck IBM Security Identity Manager configuration files (such as enRole.properties or related XML configuration files) and the Java keystore for encryption settings. Look for encryption algorithm configurations (such as AES-256) and key management settings.Affected if No encryption is configured for credential storage, or encryption is explicitly disabled.
A user is affected if IBM Security Identity Manager version 7.0.2 is installed and user credentials are stored in plaintext (unencrypted) in the data storage, allowing any authenticated user with standard access to read them.
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 dataImplement encryption for stored credentials using strong encryption (AES-256) with proper key management. If a patched version is available from IBM, apply the update. Audit access controls and rotate any compromised credentials.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 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-2021-29683 — 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-2021-29683 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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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.
- 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