CVE-2024-53865

CVE-2024-53865 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-312.

Key facts

Description

zhmcclient is a pure Python client library for the IBM Z HMC Web Services API. In affected versions the Python package "zhmcclient" writes password-like properties in clear text into its HMC and API logs in the following cases: 1. The 'boot-ftp-password' and 'ssc-master-pw' properties when creating or updating a partition in DPM mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 2. The 'ssc-master-pw' and 'zaware-master-pw' properties when updating an LPAR in classic mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 3. The 'ssc-master-pw' and 'zaware-master-pw' properties when creating or updating an image activation profile in classic mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 4. The 'password' property when creating or updating an HMC user, in the zhmcclient API log. 5. The 'bind-password' property when creating or updating an LDAP server definition, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. This issue affects only users of the zhmcclient package that have enabled the Python loggers named "zhmcclient.api" (for the API log) or "zhmcclient.hmc" (for the HMC log) and that use the functions listed above. This issue has been fixed in zhmcclient version 1.18.1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-53865?
zhmcclient is a pure Python client library for the IBM Z HMC Web Services API. In affected versions the Python package "zhmcclient" writes password-like properties in clear text into its HMC and API logs in the following cases: 1. The 'boot-ftp-password' and 'ssc-master-pw' properties when creating or updating a partition in DPM mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 2. The 'ssc-master-pw' and 'zaware-master-pw' properties when updating an LPAR in classic mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 3. The 'ssc-master-pw' and 'zaware-master-pw' properties when creating or updating an image activation profile in classic mode, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. 4. The 'password' property when creating or updating an HMC user, in the zhmcclient API log. 5. The 'bind-password' property when creating or updating an LDAP server definition, in the zhmcclient API and HMC logs. This issue affects only users of the zhmcclient package that have enabled the Python loggers named "zhmcclient.api" (for the API log) or "zhmcclient.hmc" (for the HMC log) and that use the functions listed above. This issue has been fixed in zhmcclient version 1.18.1. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
How severe is CVE-2024-53865?
CVE-2024-53865 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.2, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2024-53865 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (3rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2024-53865?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2024-53865 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2024-53865 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-3492.
When was CVE-2024-53865 published?
CVE-2024-53865 was published on 2024-11-29 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Other CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information) vulnerabilities

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