CVE-2016-2941 IBM CVE debrief

Who should care

Administrators and operators of IBM UrbanCode Deploy installations, especially systems where multiple local users or shared administrative access exist. Security teams should care if deployment steps handle credentials, secrets, or other sensitive runtime data.

Technical summary

According to the NVD record, UrbanCode Deploy versions across multiple 6.0.x, 6.1.x, and 6.2.x releases are affected by temporary files created during step execution that may contain sensitive information, including passwords. The exposure is a confidentiality issue only: CVSS v3.0 is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N, and the weakness is mapped to CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor). The issue requires local access, so the practical risk is highest on multi-user hosts or environments where non-administrative local accounts can inspect temporary directories.

Defensive priority

Medium. The issue is confidentiality-focused and requires local access, but exposed passwords in deployment workflows can still have outsized impact if local account separation is weak or if the affected host is shared.

Recommended defensive actions

• Review IBM's vendor advisory for the specific fix guidance and supported remediation path.
• Upgrade IBM UrbanCode Deploy to a vendor-recommended fixed release or apply the appropriate maintenance update.
• Restrict local access to the UrbanCode Deploy host, including temporary directories used during step execution.
• Audit deployment steps and automation for secret handling so passwords and other credentials are not written to disk in readable form.
• After remediation, verify that temporary files created during step execution no longer contain sensitive content.

Evidence notes

The debrief is based on the NVD vulnerability record and its referenced IBM advisory links. NVD states that UrbanCode Deploy creates temporary files during step execution that could contain sensitive information, including passwords, readable by a local user. NVD also maps the issue to CWE-200 and gives CVSS v3.0 AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N with score 5.5. The affected product range is derived from the listed vulnerable CPE criteria spanning multiple IBM UrbanCode Deploy 6.0.x, 6.1.x, and 6.2.x releases.

Official resources