IBM Guardium Data Protection: Missing authentication in edge-controller
Summary
IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.1 and 12.2.2 lack authentication for a critical function in the edge-controller component (CWE-306). An unauthenticated remote attacker can make the edge-controller execute arbitrary container images and take control of managed edge clusters. No credentials or user interaction are required, so network reachability of the edge-controller is the key risk.
Affected
- IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.1
- IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.2.2
Fixed in
According to the CVE record, IBM strongly recommends applying the latest patches for all affected versions: Guardium Data Protection Edge patch 12.0p15004 and Guardium Data Protection patch 12.0p147. Confirm the applicable patch in IBM bulletin 7288832 before deploying.
Workaround
Unknown. No official workaround is confirmed. Until IBM provides a fix or interim guidance, restrict network access to the edge-controller to trusted management and edge hosts and do not expose it to the internet.
Exploitation
- CISA SSVC: exploitation none, automatable yes, technical impact total.
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild found; not listed in KEV.
- No public proof of concept found.
Our recommendation
- Check whether Guardium Data Protection 12.1 or 12.2.2 with the edge-controller is in use.
- Restrict or block access to the edge-controller now.
- Apply the IBM fix as soon as it is confirmed for your version.
- Review logs for unexpected container deployments.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- IBM Security Bulletin 7288832 www.ibm.com
- CVE record summary (threatint) cve.threatint.com
- Rapid7 mirror (vulners) vulners.com
- Offseq threat radar radar.offseq.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 30 Oct 2026, 20:24.
Original description (NVD)
IBM Guardium Data Protection 12.1 and 12.2.2 are vulnerable to missing authentication in the edge-controller component. An unauthenticated remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary container images and gain control of managed edge clusters.
NVD references (1)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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