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CVE-2016-8233 Lenovo CVE debrief

CVE-2016-8233 describes a credential exposure weakness in Lenovo XClarity Administrator (LXCA) versions earlier than 1.2.2. According to the NVD record, log files could contain user credentials in non-secure clear text and could be viewed by a non-privileged user. Because the issue involves sensitive authentication data in accessible logs, defenders should treat it as a high-priority exposure risk even though it is not listed as a Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV).

Vendor
Lenovo
Product
CVE-2016-8233
CVSS
CRITICAL 9.8
CISA KEV
Not listed in stored evidence
Original CVE published
2017-03-01
Original CVE updated
2026-05-13
Advisory published
2017-03-01
Advisory updated
2026-05-13

Who should care

Administrators and security teams responsible for Lenovo XClarity Administrator deployments, especially environments running LXCA versions earlier than 1.2.2. Incident responders and log-management teams should also care because credential leakage in logs can broaden access beyond intended users.

Technical summary

The vulnerable condition is a log handling flaw: LXCA versions earlier than 1.2.2 may record user credentials in clear text. The NVD entry maps the affected range to versions up to and including 1.2.1. The weakness is classified as CWE-532 (Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File). The published CVSS vector is CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, reflecting that the issue is network-reachable and can expose highly sensitive information.

Defensive priority

High. Cleartext credential exposure can enable unauthorized access, lateral movement, and account takeover if logs are accessible to unintended users or collected into centralized systems. Remediation should be prioritized wherever affected LXCA versions are still in service or logs may already contain exposed credentials.

Recommended defensive actions

  • Upgrade Lenovo XClarity Administrator to version 1.2.2 or later, per the affected-version boundary in the NVD record and Lenovo advisory.
  • Review LXCA log retention, access control, and forwarding paths to ensure only authorized administrators can read historical logs.
  • Search existing logs for cleartext credentials and treat any confirmed exposure as a credential incident.
  • Rotate or invalidate any credentials that may have appeared in logs before remediation.
  • Limit log access on hosts, log repositories, and SIEM destinations to the smallest set of trusted administrators.
  • Confirm that monitoring and support workflows do not reintroduce sensitive values into logs after upgrade.

Evidence notes

Source evidence is limited to the provided NVD record and Lenovo PSIRT reference. The NVD metadata states the vulnerable CPE as lenovo:xclarity_administrator with affected versions through 1.2.1, and the weakness as CWE-532. The CVE publication date used here is 2017-03-01T22:59:00.170Z, matching the supplied CVE and source timestamps. No KEV designation was supplied.

Official resources

Publicly disclosed in the CVE/NVD record dated 2017-03-01. The supplied source metadata also points to a Lenovo PSIRT advisory and mitigation reference. No KEV listing was provided.