# CVE-2016-8940: Missing authorization in Tivoli Storage Manager

> Attackers can access restricted database tables to retrieve sensitive information like passwords due to insufficient authority checks.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 7 Mar 2017
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-f743-8m8m-5x2v

## What is CVE-2016-8940?

CVE-2016-8940 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in IBM Corporation Tivoli Storage Manager, published on 7 Mar 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (IBM Spectrum Protect) 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and 7.1 does not perform sufficient authority checking on SQL queries. As a result, an attacker is able to submit SQL queries that access database tables that are not intended for access or use by administrators. The access of these product specific database tables may allow access to passwords or other sensitive information for the product. IBM Reference #: 1998946.

Weakness: CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2016-8940?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Tivoli Storage Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2016-8940?

No fix has been published for CVE-2016-8940 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2016-8940 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8940 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in IBM Corporation Tivoli Storage Manager

- [CVE-2009-3854](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-3854/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-1178](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-1178/): Other in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2008-4563](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4563/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2006-5855](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-5855/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2016-8937](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8937/): Information disclosure in Spectrum Protect (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2016-8940 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2016-8940 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in IBM Corporation Tivoli Storage Manager, published on 7 Mar 2017. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2016-8940 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: IBM Corporation Tivoli Storage Manager. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8940/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8940/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2016-8940
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-8940
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2016-8940

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-8940/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.