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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4160: IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information,...

IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0 could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by the failure to properly enable HTTP Strict Transport Security. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to obtain sensitive information using man in the middle techniques. IBM X-Force ID: 174340.

MediumCVSS 5.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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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 fail to properly enforce HTTPS through HSTS. This can expose sensitive information if an attacker can position themselves between users and the product. The issue is medium severity, mainly affecting confidentiality rather than system integrity or availability.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate confidentiality risk. It deserves timely remediation for exposed security infrastructure, but the available evidence does not support emergency handling without affected versions or interception-prone access paths.

Technical view

CVE-2020-4160 is an HSTS misconfiguration issue in IBM QRadar Network Security 5.4.0 and 5.5.0. The CVSS 3.0 score is 5.9, with network attack vector, high attack complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, high confidentiality impact, and no integrity or availability impact.

Likely exposure

Known exposure is limited to IBM QRadar Network Security versions 5.4.0 and 5.5.0. The source bundle does not name other QRadar products, unsupported versions, appliances, or deployment models as affected.

Exploitation context

The sources describe remote exploitation through man-in-the-middle techniques. There is no KEV listing, and the provided CVSS exploit maturity is unproven, so active exploitation should not be assumed from this bundle.

Researcher notes

Evidence is concise: affected versions, HSTS failure, MITM-based information disclosure, and CVSS vector are provided. The bundle does not include detailed patch names, configuration changes, proof of exploitation, or expanded product scope.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory IBM QRadar Network Security deployments and confirm exact versions.
  • Review IBM advisory node 6514403 for official fix or configuration guidance.
  • Prioritize systems reachable across untrusted or shared networks.
  • Restrict administrative access paths where feasible until vendor guidance is applied.
  • Monitor IBM X-Force entry 174340 for updated remediation details.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether any deployed instance runs version 5.4.0 or 5.5.0.
  • Check whether HTTPS responses enforce HTTP Strict Transport Security as expected.
  • Review network paths where interception risk is plausible.
  • Verify remediation against IBM’s advisory after applying vendor guidance.
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

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CVE-2020-4160 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.9 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

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
5.9CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/C:H/I:N/A:N/AC:H/S:U/PR:N/UI:N/AV:N/RC:C/E:U/RL:O2.23.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

5.9Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4160Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

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

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