CVE-2023-31006 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting IBM Security Verify Access Appliance and IBM Security Verify Access Docker versions 10.0.0.0 through 10.0.6.1. The flaw resides in the DSC (Distributed Session Cache) server component, which is responsible for managing session data and authentication processes. An attacker with low privileges (PR:L) can remotely trigger excessive resource consumption without requiring user interaction (UI:N), leading to denial of service (DoS) by exhausting server resources such as CPU, memory, or network bandwidth. The vulnerability is exploitable over the network (AV:N) with low attack complexity (AC:L), and it does not affect confidentiality or integrity but impacts availability (A:H). The scope is unchanged (S:U), meaning the impact is limited to the vulnerable component without affecting other system components. No patches have been released yet, and no known exploits have been observed in the wild. IBM X-Force has assigned ID 254776 to this vulnerability. Given the critical role of the DSC server in authentication and session management, successful exploitation could disrupt access to protected resources and services relying on the appliance.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to the availability of authentication and access management services provided by IBM Security Verify Access Appliance. Disruption of these services can lead to denial of access for legitimate users, potentially halting business operations, especially in sectors relying heavily on secure identity and access management such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. The DoS condition could also be leveraged as part of a broader attack strategy to create service outages or distract security teams. Since the vulnerability does not affect confidentiality or integrity, data breaches are less likely; however, service unavailability can cause operational and reputational damage. Organizations with high dependency on IBM security appliances should consider this a priority risk to maintain continuous access control and authentication services.

To mitigate CVE-2023-31006, organizations should first monitor IBM’s official channels for patches or updates addressing this vulnerability and apply them promptly once available. In the interim, restrict network access to the DSC server component by implementing strict firewall rules and network segmentation to limit exposure to untrusted networks. Employ rate limiting and anomaly detection on authentication and session management traffic to identify and block potential resource exhaustion attempts. Review and tighten access controls to ensure only authorized personnel and systems can interact with the DSC server. Additionally, consider deploying redundancy and failover mechanisms for the IBM Security Verify Access Appliance to minimize service disruption impact. Regularly audit system logs for unusual spikes in resource usage or connection attempts that may indicate exploitation attempts. Engage with IBM support for any recommended configuration changes or temporary workarounds.