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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4206: IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands...

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the system in the context of root user, caused by improper validation of user-supplied input. IBM X-Force ID: 174966.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 has a high-severity flaw that can let a remote, low-privileged attacker run commands as root. Because this affects backup protection infrastructure, compromise could threaten recovery capability and sensitive data.

Executive priority

Treat this as a high-priority backup-platform remediation item. It is not proven exploited in the supplied evidence, but root command execution on recovery infrastructure can create major operational risk.

Technical view

CVE-2020-4206 is caused by improper validation of user-supplied input in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus. The supplied CVSS 3.0 vector indicates network attackability, low privileges required, no user interaction, high attack complexity, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. IBM X-Force ID: 174966.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions 10.1.0 through 10.1.5. Risk is highest where affected systems are reachable over a network by users or services with low-level access.

Exploitation context

The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited evidence of active exploitation. The CVSS exploit code maturity value is unproven, so active exploitation should not be assumed from these sources.

Researcher notes

The bundle does not include CWE mapping, exact vulnerable endpoint details, exploit prerequisites beyond CVSS, or named fixed versions. Keep analysis tied to IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 and vendor guidance.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions across backup environments.
  • Review IBM advisory 6114130 for official remediation instructions.
  • Apply vendor-approved updates or fixes for affected 10.1.x deployments.
  • Restrict network access to Spectrum Protect Plus management surfaces.
  • Monitor affected systems for suspicious administrative or root-level activity.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether any deployment runs versions 10.1.0 through 10.1.5.
  • Check IBM advisory and X-Force entry for affected-version and fix details.
  • Verify access controls around network-reachable Spectrum Protect Plus services.
  • Review logs for unexpected command execution or privilege-related anomalies.
Prepared
Confidence
high
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-2020-4206 mapping review

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

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/S:U/I:H/UI:N/AC:H/C:H/PR:L/A:H/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
7.5CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/S:U/I:H/UI:N/AC:H/C:H/PR:L/A:H/AV:N/RC:C/E:U/RL:O1.65.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4206Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/S:U/I:H/UI:N/AC:H/C:H/PR:L/A:H/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
IBMSpectrum Protect Plus10.1.0, 10.1.5Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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