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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4241: IBM Spectrum Scale and IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 could allow a remote authenticated a...

IBM Spectrum Scale and IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the system. By sending a specially crafted request, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary commands on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 175418.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This vulnerability could let a logged-in attacker run commands on an affected IBM system. It is high risk because successful exploitation can compromise confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but it requires authentication and high attack complexity. No provided source states active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority for environments using affected IBM backup or storage management software. The business risk is full system command execution by an authenticated attacker, especially if the product is reachable beyond tightly controlled administration paths.

Technical view

CVE-2020-4241 is a remote authenticated arbitrary command execution issue in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5, with IBM also naming Spectrum Scale in the description. CVSS 3.0 is 7.5, with network attack vector, low privileges, no user interaction, high complexity, and high C/I/A impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 is deployed and reachable by authenticated users. The bundle also references IBM Spectrum Scale, but the structured affected-product list only names Spectrum Protect Plus.

Exploitation context

The attacker must be authenticated and send a specially crafted request. The CVE is not listed as KEV in the provided data, and the supplied sources do not claim known active exploitation.

Researcher notes

Evidence supports remote authenticated command execution with high complexity and official IBM references. The bundle does not provide exploit details, confirmed exploitation, CWE classification, or exact fixed versions, so validation should stay tied to IBM's advisory.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify systems running IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5.
  • Follow IBM's support advisory for the official fix or upgrade path.
  • Limit management access to trusted administrative networks and users.
  • Review privileged and application accounts for unnecessary access.
  • Monitor for unusual authenticated requests or unexpected command execution evidence.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions against the affected range.
  • Check IBM's advisory and X-Force entry for current remediation details.
  • Verify the IBM-specified fix or upgrade has been applied.
  • Review authentication logs for suspicious low-privilege account activity.
  • Document whether any Spectrum Scale exposure is confirmed by IBM 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-2020-4241 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/UI:N/I:H/S:U/A:H/AV:N/PR:L/AC:H/C:H/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/UI:N/I:H/S:U/A:H/AV:N/PR:L/AC:H/C:H/RL:O/RC:C/E:U1.65.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4241Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/UI:N/I:H/S:U/A:H/AV:N/PR:L/AC:H/C:H/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 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.