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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4242: 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: 175419.

HighCVSS 8.8Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-4242 is a high-severity IBM command execution issue. A low-privileged authenticated remote attacker could send a crafted request and run arbitrary commands on the affected system, potentially exposing data, changing systems, or disrupting operations.

Executive priority

Treat as a near-term remediation item for any affected IBM backup or scale-out storage environment. The risk is high because successful abuse could lead to full command execution after low-privilege authentication, but the provided sources do not establish active exploitation.

Technical view

The source describes remote authenticated arbitrary command execution in IBM Spectrum Scale and IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5. CVSS 3.0 score is 8.8 with network attack vector, low privileges, low complexity, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability 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 description also names IBM Spectrum Scale, but the structured affected product data only lists Spectrum Protect Plus.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or public active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires authentication with low privileges and a specially crafted request. The sources do not provide exploit availability details beyond IBM X-Force ID 175419.

Researcher notes

Key uncertainty: the description names IBM Spectrum Scale and Spectrum Protect Plus, while structured affected data lists Spectrum Protect Plus only. Do not broaden scope without checking IBM advisory 6114130. CVSS temporal data indicates an official fix level, but exact fixed versions are not included in the bundle.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 deployments.
  • Review IBM advisory 6114130 and X-Force 175419 for official remediation.
  • Apply IBM-provided fixes or upgrade guidance from the vendor advisory.
  • Restrict access to management interfaces to trusted administrative networks.
  • Review low-privilege accounts with access to affected systems.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm deployed IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions against 10.1.0 through 10.1.5.
  • Check whether IBM Spectrum Scale is covered in your environment by the advisory.
  • Verify vendor fixes or upgrades are applied where applicable.
  • Review logs for unusual authenticated requests around management functions.
  • Confirm exposed services are not reachable from untrusted networks.
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-2020-4242 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
8.8 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/A:H/AV:N/PR:L/AC:L/C:H/UI:N/I:H/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
8.8CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/A:H/AV:N/PR:L/AC:L/C:H/UI:N/I:H/S:U/RL:O/RC:C/E:U2.85.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

8.8High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4242Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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