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Robotic Process Automation For Cloud PakApplication · Ibm

CVE-2022-35280

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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 Robotic Process Automation 21.0.0, 21.0.1, and 21.0.2 does not require that users should have strong passwords by default, which makes it easier for attackers to compromise user accounts. IBM X-Force ID: 230634.

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 Robotic Process Automation versions 21.0.0, 21.0.1, and 21.0.2 shipped with weak or no default password complexity requirements, allowing attackers to more easily compromise user accounts through brute-force or dictionary attacks.

MitigationEnable and enforce strong password policies in IBM RPA administration console, requiring minimum password length, complexity requirements (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters), and periodic rotation.

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
Robotic Process Automation For Cloud PakApplication
Affected:= 21.0.0= 21.0.1= 21.0.2

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:3.1/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. Confirm IBM RPA version
    Access the IBM RPA administration console or check the product version information in the deployment. Navigate to About or System Information section to identify the exact installed version.
    Affected if The installed version is 21.0.0, 21.0.1, or 21.0.2.
  2. Locate password policy configuration
    In the IBM RPA admin console, navigate to Security settings or User Management section where password policies are defined. Look for password complexity requirements configuration.
    Affected if Password complexity settings are not explicitly defined, set to None, or allow weak passwords (e.g., no minimum length, no uppercase/lowercase/number/special character requirements).
  3. Verify minimum password length setting
    Check the password policy for minimum character length requirement. Typical strong policies require at least 8-12 characters.
    Affected if Minimum password length is not set or is set to a value less than 8 characters.
  4. Check password complexity enforcement
    Examine whether the policy enforces uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters as mandatory components.
    Affected if One or more complexity requirements (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters) are not enforced or disabled.
  5. Review account lockout and brute-force protection
    Look for account lockout policies, failed login attempt limits, or brute-force protection settings in the security configuration.
    Affected if No account lockout policy exists or failed login thresholds are not configured.

You are affected if running IBM RPA For Cloud Pak version 21.0.0, 21.0.1, or 21.0.2 AND password complexity requirements are not enabled or are set to weak defaults in the administration console.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Enable and enforce strong password policies in IBM RPA administration console, requiring minimum password length, complexity requirements (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters), and periodic rotation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Robotic Process Automation for Cloud Pak version 21.0.3 or later (verify exact fixed version in IBM security bulletin)

  1. 1. Review IBM's official security bulletin for CVE-2022-35280 (IBM X-Force ID: 230634) at www.ibm.com for the definitive fixed version and upgrade instructions.
  2. 2. If a newer version (such as 21.0.3 or later) is indicated as the fix, plan the upgrade following IBM's standard upgrade procedure for RPA for Cloud Pak.
  3. 3. Before upgrading, backup all current configurations and workflows.
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify that strong password requirements are now enforced by default.
  5. 5. Review and enforce password policies per IBM's security best practices documentation.
Caveat Check IBM documentation for any configuration or workflow compatibility notes when upgrading between minor versions

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

Fix this in Robotic Process Automation For Cloud Pak Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
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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-2022-35280 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