LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2020-4152: IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a...

IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be obtained using man in the middle techniques. IBM X-Force ID: 17467.

MediumCVSS 6.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 may send sensitive or security-critical data without encryption, allowing someone positioned on the network path to read it. The issue is medium severity because confidentiality impact is high, but exploitation requires a man-in-the-middle position and high attack complexity.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted confidentiality risk for legacy QRadar Network Security deployments. Prioritize verification and vendor-guided remediation, especially in segmented or shared network environments handling sensitive security telemetry.

Technical view

CVE-2020-4152 is a cleartext transmission flaw in IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0. The CVSS 3.0 vector is AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating network reachability, no privileges, no user interaction, high confidentiality impact, and no integrity or availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to environments running IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 or 5.5.0 where affected communications traverse networks an attacker could observe or intercept.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not identify active exploitation, KEV listing, public exploit availability, or detailed exploit mechanics. The CVSS vector and description indicate man-in-the-middle conditions are required, with high attack complexity.

Researcher notes

The record does not list CWE data or detailed affected components beyond QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0. Avoid assuming broader QRadar product impact without IBM confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Review IBM advisory for official fixes or upgrade guidance.
  • Inventory QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 deployments.
  • Prioritize remediation where communications cross shared or untrusted networks.
  • Restrict affected communications to trusted network paths where possible.
  • Monitor vendor guidance for any updated remediation details.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed QRadar Network Security versions against 5.4.0 and 5.5.0.
  • Identify communication paths carrying sensitive or security-critical data.
  • Check IBM advisory and X-Force record for remediation applicability.
  • Assess whether any affected traffic crosses interceptable network segments.
  • Review monitoring for unexpected interception, proxying, or routing changes.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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 · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-4152 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.8 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/UI:N/PR:N/AV:N/I:N/C:H/A:N/AC:H/S:C/RC:C/RL:O/E:U

Official CVE source material

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.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.8CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/UI:N/PR:N/AV:N/I:N/C:H/A:N/AC:H/S:C/RC:C/RL:O/E:U2.24Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

6.8Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4152Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/UI:N/PR:N/AV:N/I:N/C:H/A:N/AC:H/S:C/RC:C/RL:O/E:U

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
IBMQRadar Network Security5.4.0, 5.5.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.