CVE-2023-50948VulnerabilityPublished 8 Jan 2024Updated 3 Jun 2025

CVE-2023-50948: IBM Storage Fusion HCI · Use of Hard-coded Password

Affects IBM Storage Fusion HCISource CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 6.5 Medium.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 06:26 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

6.5Medium

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.4% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 42% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Attack Vector: Adjacent
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Adjacent: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack, but the attack is limited at the protocol level to a logically adjacent topology. This can mean an attack must be launched from the same shared physical (e.g., Bluetooth or IEEE 802.11) or logical (e.g., local IP subnet) network, or from within a secure or otherwise limited administrative domain (e.g., MPLS, secure VPN to an administrative network zone).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: High: There is total loss of confidentiality, resulting in all resources within the impacted component being divulged to the attacker. Alternatively, access to only some restricted information is obtained, but the disclosed information presents a direct, serious impact.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: None: There is no impact to availability within the impacted component.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Jan 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2026-10-26.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
IBM Storage Fusion HCI	Affected =2.1.0	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

European organizations using IBM Storage Fusion HCI should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Immediately inventory and identify all instances of IBM Storage Fusion HCI versions 2.1.0 through 2.6.1 in their environment. 2) Monitor IBM security advisories closely for patches or updates addressing CVE-2023-50948 and apply them promptly once available. 3) Until patches are released, restrict network access to Storage Fusion HCI management interfaces and communication channels to trusted hosts and networks only, employing strict network segmentation and firewall rules to limit exposure. 4) Conduct thorough credential audits and rotate any credentials that may be impacted or related to the hard-coded passwords, if possible. 5) Implement enhanced logging and monitoring around Storage Fusion HCI components to detect anomalous authentication attempts or unusual communication patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. 6) Employ multi-factor authentication (MFA) and additional access controls around management interfaces to reduce risk from compromised credentials. 7) Educate IT and security teams about the risks of hard-coded credentials and ensure secure development and deployment practices are followed for all infrastructure components. 8) Consider compensating controls such as encryption of data at rest and in transit independent of the vulnerable components to reduce data exposure risk.

Description

IBM Storage Fusion HCI 2.1.0 through 2.6.1 contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key, which it uses for its own inbound authentication, outbound communication to external components, or encryption of internal data. IBM X-Force ID: 275671.

Impact

For European organizations, the exploitation of CVE-2023-50948 could lead to significant confidentiality breaches, especially in sectors relying on IBM Storage Fusion HCI for critical data storage and processing, such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government. Unauthorized access enabled by hard-coded credentials could allow attackers to intercept or exfiltrate sensitive data, potentially violating GDPR and other data protection regulations, resulting in legal and financial penalties. Additionally, attackers could leverage this vulnerability to move laterally within enterprise networks, escalating the scope of compromise. The medium severity rating reflects that while the vulnerability does not directly impact system integrity or availability, the confidentiality impact is high, which is critical for organizations handling sensitive or regulated data. The lack of required privileges or user interaction lowers the barrier for exploitation by insiders or attackers with local network access, increasing risk in environments with less network segmentation or monitoring. The absence of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not diminish the importance of remediation, as threat actors could develop exploits given the public disclosure.

CWE-259Use of Hard-coded Password (opens in a new tab)
Variant weaknessLikelihood of exploit: HighOWASP Top 10 A07:2025: Authentication Failures (opens in a new tab)
The product contains a hard-coded password, which it uses for its own inbound authentication or for outbound communication to external components.
Architecture and Design
For outbound authentication: store passwords outside of the code in a strongly-protected, encrypted configuration file or database that is protected from access by all outsiders, including other local users on the same system. Properly protect the key (CWE-320).
Architecture and Design
For inbound authentication: Rather than hard-code a default username and password for first time logins, utilize a "first login" mode that requires the user to enter a unique strong password.
Architecture and Design
Perform access control checks and limit which entities can access the feature that requires the hard-coded password. For example, a feature might only be enabled through the system console instead of through a network connection.
OWASP Cheat Sheets
OWASP Authentication (opens in a new tab)
OWASP ASVS 4.0.3
V2.3.1 (opens in a new tab)
V2.6.2 (opens in a new tab)
V2.8.5 (opens in a new tab)
From MITRE CWE, MITRE CAPEC and OWASP (Top 10, OpenCRE).

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 4 Jul 2025, 02:57 UTC

WeaknessesCWE-259

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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