● Critical · CVSS 9.8

How to Fix CVE-2024-45656: CWE-798 Use of Hard-coded Credentials in Flexible Service Processor

Q: Is CVE-2024-45656 being actively exploited?

Not at the time of writing. It is not listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. That can change, so monitor the advisory and KEV catalog.

Q: How severe is CVE-2024-45656?

CVSS rates it 9.8 (Critical). Treat it accordingly in your prioritisation queue.

Q: Do I have to take Flexible Service Processor offline to apply the patch?

That depends on your deployment topology. For high-availability or clustered setups you can usually patch one node at a time with no full outage. Standalone installs typically need a short restart. Always follow the vendor's documented upgrade steps.

⚡ At a glance


Severity	CVSS 9.8, Critical
Actively exploited?	No
Affected	IBM Flexible Service Processor (<= FW860.B3, <= FW950.C0, <= FW1030.61)
Fixed in	Newer than FW860.B3 (per vendor advisory)
Type (CWE)	CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials

What is CVE-2024-45656?

IBM Flexible Service Processor (FSP) FW860.00 through FW860.B3, FW950.00 through FW950.C0, FW1030.00 through FW1030.61, FW1050.00 through FW1050.21, and FW1060.00 through FW1060.10 has static credentials which may allow network users to gain service privileges to the FSP.

In short, a successful attacker gets compromise of the affected component as described in the vendor advisory. No confirmed in-the-wild exploitation is listed in CISA KEV at the time of writing, but the CVSS rating still warrants prompt patching.

Am I affected?

Check whether you run IBM Flexible Service Processor in your environment, then compare your installed version against the Affected row above.

Check the installed fix pack and APAR level via the product's About screen or via productInfo version where supported.

How to fix CVE-2024-45656

Read the official vendor advisory linked at the bottom of this page and identify the exact patched build for your release train.
Download the patched build of Flexible Service Processor from the vendor's support portal. Use only signed images from the vendor.
Back up configuration and, where supported, take a snapshot of the host or appliance before you start.
Apply the update following the vendor's documented procedure. For clustered or high-availability deployments, patch the standby node first, fail over, then patch the previously active node.
Restart the affected service or appliance if the upgrade procedure requires it.
Re-run the version check from the previous section and confirm the build matches the fixed release.

Patch via your OS package manager


# The exact package name and patched version are listed in the vendor advisory:
# https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7174183
# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install --only-upgrade flexibleserviceprocessor

# RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade flexibleserviceprocessor

# openSUSE
sudo zypper update flexibleserviceprocessor

# Verify the running version matches the fixed version
dpkg -s flexibleserviceprocessor 2>/dev/null | grep -i version || rpm -q flexibleserviceprocessor 2>/dev/null


# Windows: pull the cumulative update that ships this fix.
Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate -Force -SkipPublisherCheck
Get-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -Install -AutoReboot

Verify the fix landed


# 1. Confirm the running version matches the fixed-in version from the advisory:
#    https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7174183
#    Use the platform-specific version probe above.

# 2. Re-scan with your vulnerability scanner (Nessus, Qualys, Tenable, OpenVAS).
#    The scanner should no longer flag CVE-2024-45656 on the patched target.

# 3. Inspect recent service / kernel logs for crash loops or rollback events.
journalctl -u <service> --since "10 minutes ago"
dmesg --since "10 minutes ago"

If you can't patch immediately

No official vendor workaround is published for this CVE at the time of writing; patching is the primary remediation. If patching has to wait, restrict network access to the affected component to trusted administrative networks and monitor logs for indicators of compromise listed in the advisory.

How to verify the fix worked

Confirm the running build of Flexible Service Processor matches the fixed version listed by the vendor. Re-run any vulnerability scanner you used previously and confirm the finding for CVE-2024-45656 has cleared. Where the vendor publishes a detection rule or IOCs, sweep your logs for evidence of pre-patch exploitation.

Why this CVE matters

CVSS 9.8 (Critical) reflects either remote, unauthenticated exploitability, full impact on confidentiality / integrity / availability, or both. Most internal SLAs map a Critical rating to a 7-to-15 day patch deadline regardless of in-the-wild reports. Public-facing instances should be patched on the shorter end of that window.

Monitoring and detection

After you apply the patch, treat the affected component as a known-good baseline and watch for regression. Concrete steps:

Re-run your usual vulnerability scanner on a weekly cycle for the next month and confirm the finding stays clear.
Forward the affected component's logs to your SIEM, then write a rule for any failed-auth burst or unusual configuration change on the component.
If the vendor advisory lists indicators of compromise, hash patterns, or specific log strings, build detection rules in your SIEM around them and back-search the last 90 days of logs.
Tag the patched build in your CMDB so future audits can confirm it stayed patched through any rebuild or re-image.

Defensive hardening beyond the patch

Patching closes this specific CVE. A few common-sense controls reduce the blast radius of the next one in the same component:

Apply Support Pack and patch cluster updates on the documented vendor cadence; do not skip cumulative updates.
Run the vendor's security health-check or audit utility after every patch and review the findings.
Limit network access to the management ports from outside the data-centre VLAN at the firewall.
Confirm that all administrative accounts are tied to named users in your identity provider, with logout-on-idle enforced.

Frequently asked questions

Other vulnerabilities in the same area that are worth patching alongside this one:

How to Fix CVE-2024-54085: Authentication Bypass in MegaRAC-SPx — Authentication Bypass in MegaRAC-SPx
How to Fix CVE-2024-29212: Remote Code Execution in Service Provider Console — Remote Code Execution in Service Provider Console
How to Fix CVE-2024-0769: D-link DIR-859 (Bundle Sibling) , D-link DIR-859 (Bundle Sibling)
How to Fix CVE-2024-23692: Server-Side Template Injection in HTTP File Server , Server-Side Template Injection in HTTP File Server
How to Fix CVE-2024-4885: Path Traversal in WhatsUp Gold , Path Traversal in WhatsUp Gold

Is CVE-2024-45656 being actively exploited?