CVE-2021-38901

Local credential disclosure via plaintext trace logging

Published Dec 13, 2021 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

Information disclosure in IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center 7.1 allows local users to read credentials from trace files. When Operations Center tracing is enabled, the tracing subsystem writes user credentials to its trace file in plaintext. Any local user able to read that trace file can recover the exposed credentials; confidentiality is the only documented consequence.

CVSS severity5.1
Medium
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Information disclosure in IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center 7.1 allows local users to read credentials from trace files. When Operations Center tracing is enabled, the tracing subsystem writes user credentials to its trace file in plaintext. Any local user able to read that trace file can recover the exposed credentials; confidentiality is the only documented consequence.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-38901
Published
Dec 13, 2021
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
IBM
Product
IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center
Classifications
CWE-200, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 13, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=7.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

IBM · IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Centerversion=7.1

Published CVSS scores

5.1IBM CorporationCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
2.1NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
T1552.001Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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