Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0 used a shared hard-coded encryption key. If someone can access an affected system, that key could allow decryption of sensitive information protected by the product. This is mainly a confidentiality risk, not a remote takeover issue.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation for systems handling regulated data, credentials, or high-value business information. Urgency is moderate: exploitation requires local access, but successful abuse could expose sensitive information and compound insider or post-compromise risk.
Technical view
CVE-2019-4220 is an information disclosure vulnerability in IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0 caused by a common hard-coded encryption key. The CVSS 3.0 vector is local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and high confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is likely limited to environments running IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0, especially systems storing credentials, configuration secrets, or other sensitive data protected by the affected encryption mechanism. The CVSS vector indicates local access is required.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. CVSS exploit maturity is listed as unproven. Treat this as a credible confidentiality weakness where local system access could increase data exposure, not as confirmed internet-scale exploitation.
Researcher notes
The available evidence identifies the affected product and version but does not include exploit details, CWE mapping, or specific patch version in the provided bundle. Validation should focus on version confirmation, vendor advisory alignment, and confidentiality impact assessment.
Mitigation direction
- Identify all IBM InfoSphere Information Server 11.7.1.0 deployments.
- Review IBM advisory ibm10881197 for the official fix or mitigation.
- Apply vendor-recommended updates or configuration changes where applicable.
- Assess whether affected secrets require rotation after remediation.
- Restrict local access to affected servers until remediated.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed InfoSphere Information Server version and fix level.
- Check whether IBM advisory remediation has been applied.
- Review access controls for users with local server access.
- Inventory sensitive data or secrets handled by affected deployments.
- Document remaining unsupported or unpatched instances.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2019-4220 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.2 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/A:N/C:H/UI:N/S:U/AC:L/I:N/PR:N/AV:L/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/A:N/C:H/UI:N/S:U/AC:L/I:N/PR:N/AV:L/E:U/RL:O/RC:C2.53.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
6.2MediumVector: CVSS:3.0/A:N/C:H/UI:N/S:U/AC:L/I:N/PR:N/AV:L/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=ibm10881197CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- ibm-infosphere-cve20194220-info-disc (159229)CVE reference · vdb-entry, x_refsource_XF
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.