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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4217: The IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 file system component is affected by a denial of service security vulner...

The IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 file system component is affected by a denial of service security vulnerability. An attacker can force the Spectrum Scale mmfsd/mmsdrserv daemons to unexpectedly exit, impacting the functionality of the Spectrum Scale cluster and the availability of file systems managed by Spectrum Scale. IBM X-Force ID: 175067.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-4217 can let a network attacker crash IBM Spectrum Scale daemons, disrupting cluster functionality and file-system availability. For organizations using Spectrum Scale for shared storage, the business risk is service outage rather than data theft or tampering.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation for production Spectrum Scale clusters that support business-critical storage. This is not described as a data compromise issue, but a successful attack could interrupt file-system access and dependent applications.

Technical view

IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 file system components are affected. The issue can force mmfsd or mmsdrserv to exit unexpectedly. CVSS 3.0 is 7.5: network reachable, low complexity, no privileges or user interaction, with high availability impact only.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to environments running IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 or 5.0. Risk is highest where Spectrum Scale cluster services are reachable from untrusted or broad internal networks and where managed file systems support critical workloads.

Exploitation context

The provided bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation. CVSS marks exploit maturity as unproven. Treat this as a credible denial-of-service risk because the attack vector is network-based and unauthenticated, but do not assume observed exploitation from these sources alone.

Researcher notes

The source bundle provides affected major versions and impact, but not exact fixed builds or exploit details. Use IBM’s advisory and X-Force entry as the authoritative remediation references. Avoid deriving exploitability beyond the CVSS vector and stated daemon crash behavior.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 deployments.
  • Review IBM advisory 5693463 for fixed levels or interim fixes.
  • Apply IBM-recommended updates through normal storage change controls.
  • Limit network reachability to Spectrum Scale cluster services where operationally possible.
  • Prioritize clusters supporting critical file systems or availability-sensitive workloads.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm Spectrum Scale versions and fix levels on every cluster.
  • Compare installed levels against IBM advisory 5693463.
  • Review monitoring for unexpected mmfsd or mmsdrserv exits.
  • Verify file-system availability monitoring covers affected clusters.
  • Document residual exposure for clusters awaiting vendor remediation.
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-2020-4217 mapping review

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

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/C:N/AV:N/A:H/AC:L/UI:N/S:U/RL:O/RC:C/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
7.5CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/C:N/AV:N/A:H/AC:L/UI:N/S:U/RL:O/RC:C/E:U3.93.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4217Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/C:N/AV:N/A:H/AC:L/UI:N/S:U/RL:O/RC:C/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
IBMSpectrum Scale5.0, 4.2Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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