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Spectrum Protect PlusApplication · Ibm

CVE-2022-40608

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 10.1.11 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.6 through 10.1.11 Microsoft File Systems restore operation can download any file on the target machine by manipulating the URL with a directory traversal attack. This results in the restore operation gaining access to files which the operator should not have access to. IBM X-Force ID: 235873.

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

A directory traversal vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.6-10.1.11 allows attackers to manipulate URLs in the Microsoft File Systems restore operation to access arbitrary files outside the intended directory, bypassing access controls.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and implement strict input validation on file path parameters in the restore operation.

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
Spectrum Protect PlusApplication
Affected:>= 10.1.6, <= 10.1.11

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
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify IBM Spectrum Protect Plus installation
    Locate the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus installation directory or check installed programs. Common paths include /opt/ibm/spectrumprotectplus or C:\Program Files\IBM\Spectrum Protect Plus. Verify the product name matches 'IBM Spectrum Protect Plus' or 'Spectrum Protect Plus'.
    Affected if The product is not installed or the product name does not match IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.
  2. Determine installed version
    Check the version of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. This is typically found in the product GUI under 'Help' > 'About', or via command line using 'dsmc -version' or checking version files in the installation directory. Compare your version against the affected range: 10.1.6 through 10.1.11.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.1.6, 10.1.7, 10.1.8, 10.1.9, 10.1.10, or 10.1.11.
  3. Verify Microsoft File Systems restore is configured
    Check if the Microsoft File Systems backup/restore functionality is enabled. This is typically configured in the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus administrative console under 'Resources' > 'Backup' > 'File Systems' or similar restore job configurations. Look for any Microsoft Windows file system backup or restore job definitions.
    Affected if Microsoft File Systems restore jobs or configurations exist in the environment.
  4. Inspect restore operation URLs
    If Microsoft File Systems restore operations are performed, review proxy or web server logs for the restore endpoint. Look for URL patterns that include '..' (dot-dot) sequences or absolute paths like '/etc/' or 'C:\' in the restore request parameters. Check logs for any restore operations with unusual path traversal patterns.
    Affected if Restore operation requests contain path traversal sequences like '../' or absolute file paths pointing outside the intended restore directory.

You are affected if IBM Spectrum Protect Plus version 10.1.6 through 10.1.11 is installed AND Microsoft File Systems restore functionality is in use, as the directory traversal only applies when this feature is invoked.

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 a release after 10.1.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of IBM Spectrum Protect Plus and implement strict input validation on file path parameters in the restore operation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.12 or later (check IBM Fix Central for specific interim fix)

  1. 1. Identify the current IBM Spectrum Protect Plus version by accessing the administration console or checking the installed software
  2. 2. If the current version is between 10.1.6 and 10.1.11 (inclusive), plan for an upgrade
  3. 3. Review IBM Spectrum Protect Plus release notes and support documentation for the latest available maintenance release
  4. 4. Download the appropriate fix pack or upgrade package from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral)
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window following standard backup and recovery procedures
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade following IBM's documented upgrade process for Spectrum Protect Plus
  7. 7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the version number and testing the Microsoft File Systems restore functionality
  8. 8. Confirm the path traversal vulnerability is resolved by validating that restore operations respect proper access controls
Caveat Review IBM release notes for 10.1.12+ for any configuration or functionality changes that may affect existing workflows

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

Fix this in Spectrum Protect Plus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,580
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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-2022-40608 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