CVE-2024-53979

CVE-2024-53979 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

ibm.ibm_zhmc is an Ansible collection for the IBM Z HMC. The Ansible collection "ibm.ibm_zhmc" writes password-like properties in clear text into its log file and into the output returned by some of its Ansible module in the following cases: 1. The 'boot_ftp_password' and 'ssc_master_pw' properties are passed as input to the zhmc_partition Ansible module. 2. The 'ssc_master_pw' and 'zaware_master_pw' properties are passed as input to the zhmc_lpar Ansible module. 3. The 'password' property is passed as input to the zhmc_user Ansible module (just in log file, not in module output). 4. The 'bind_password' property is passed as input to the zhmc_ldap_server_definition Ansible module. These properties appear in the module output only when they were specified in the module input and when creating or updating the corresponding resources. They do not appear in the output when retrieving facts for the corresponding resources. These properties appear in the log file only when the "log_file" module input parameter is used. By default, no log file is created. This issue has been fixed in ibm.ibm_zhmc version 1.9.3. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2024-53979?
ibm.ibm_zhmc is an Ansible collection for the IBM Z HMC. The Ansible collection "ibm.ibm_zhmc" writes password-like properties in clear text into its log file and into the output returned by some of its Ansible module in the following cases: 1. The 'boot_ftp_password' and 'ssc_master_pw' properties are passed as input to the zhmc_partition Ansible module. 2. The 'ssc_master_pw' and 'zaware_master_pw' properties are passed as input to the zhmc_lpar Ansible module. 3. The 'password' property is passed as input to the zhmc_user Ansible module (just in log file, not in module output). 4. The 'bind_password' property is passed as input to the zhmc_ldap_server_definition Ansible module. These properties appear in the module output only when they were specified in the module input and when creating or updating the corresponding resources. They do not appear in the output when retrieving facts for the corresponding resources. These properties appear in the log file only when the "log_file" module input parameter is used. By default, no log file is created. This issue has been fixed in ibm.ibm_zhmc version 1.9.3. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
How severe is CVE-2024-53979?
CVE-2024-53979 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-2024-53979 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2024-53979?
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-2024-53979 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2024-53979 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2024-52225.
When was CVE-2024-53979 published?
CVE-2024-53979 was published on 2024-11-29 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

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