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Smartcloud Analytics Log AnalysisApplication · Ibm

CVE-2024-40686

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-23
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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 SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis 1.3.7.0, 1.3.7.1, 1.3.7.2, 1.3.8.0, 1.3.8.1, and 1.3.8.2 is vulnerable to HTTP header injection, caused by improper validation of input by the HOST headers. This could allow an attacker to conduct various attacks against the vulnerable system, including cross-site scripting, cache poisoning or session hijacking.

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 SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis is vulnerable to HTTP header injection due to improper validation of HOST header input. An attacker can manipulate the HOST header to inject malicious HTTP headers or split responses, potentially leading to cross-site scripting (XSS), cache poisoning, or session hijacking attacks.

MitigationImplement strict validation and sanitization of the HOST header value, rejecting any input containing unexpected characters (such as CRLF sequences) and using a whitelist approach for allowed host values.

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
Smartcloud Analytics Log AnalysisApplication
Affected:= 1.3.7.0= 1.3.7.1= 1.3.7.2= 1.3.8.0= 1.3.8.1= 1.3.8.2

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 installed version
    Locate the version information for IBM SmartCloud Analytics Log Analysis, typically found in the product's about panel, installation directory, or by querying the product's management interface
    Affected if The installed version matches exactly 1.3.7.0, 1.3.7.1, 1.3.7.2, 1.3.8.0, 1.3.8.1, or 1.3.8.2
  2. Confirm web interface is accessible
    Verify that the IBM SmartCloud Analytics Log Analysis web interface is reachable via HTTP/HTTPS
    Affected if The web interface is exposed and accepts incoming HTTP requests, enabling an attacker to send crafted HOST headers
  3. Test HOST header handling
    Send a test HTTP request with a modified HOST header containing unusual characters (such as characters outside standard hostname syntax) and observe the application's response behavior
    Affected if The application accepts and processes the modified HOST header without rejecting or sanitizing unexpected characters, indicating vulnerability to header injection

You are affected if your installed IBM SmartCloud Analytics Log Analysis version matches one of the six listed versions AND the web interface is accessible to send malicious HOST header requests.

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

Implement strict validation and sanitization of the HOST header value, rejecting any input containing unexpected characters (such as CRLF sequences) and using a whitelist approach for allowed host values.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM SmartCloud Analytics Log Analysis 1.3.8.2 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of IBM SmartCloud Analytics - Log Analysis.
  2. 2. Obtain the latest version from IBM Fix Central or your IBM representative.
  3. 3. Review IBM's installation documentation for upgrade procedures.
  4. 4. Perform a full backup of the current configuration and data.
  5. 5. Stop all IBM SmartCloud Analytics services before upgrading.
  6. 6. Install the latest version (1.3.8.2 or later) following IBM's upgrade documentation.
  7. 7. Restart services and verify the application is functioning correctly.
  8. 8. Validate that the HOST header injection vulnerability is resolved.
Caveat Review IBM's release notes for any configuration changes or deprecated features between your current version and 1.3.8.2

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

Fix this in Smartcloud Analytics Log Analysis Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2024-40686 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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