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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4273: IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 could allow a local unprivileged attacker with intimate knowledge of the env...

IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 could allow a local unprivileged attacker with intimate knowledge of the enviornment to execute commands as root using specially crafted input. IBM X-Force ID: 175977.

HighCVSS 7.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-4273 is a local privilege escalation issue in IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0. A local unprivileged attacker, with detailed knowledge of the environment, could use specially crafted input to execute commands as root. This is high impact but requires local access and high attack complexity.

Executive priority

Treat as a high-priority infrastructure risk if IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 or 5.0 is in use, especially in shared environments. It is not internet-routable by itself, but root execution on storage infrastructure can affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Technical view

The CVSS 3.0 vector is AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H with score 7.4. The vulnerability affects IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 and can lead to root command execution from a local attack path. The source bundle does not provide CWE details or fixed version numbers.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to environments running IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 or 5.0 where an attacker can reach affected nodes locally. Risk is higher on shared compute, storage, or HPC systems with many unprivileged users.

Exploitation context

The provided data does not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. IBM’s CVSS temporal vector marks exploit code maturity as unproven. The attack still matters because successful exploitation could give root-level control on affected systems.

Researcher notes

Evidence is concise: affected versions, local root command execution impact, high complexity, and no KEV listing. The bundle does not name exploit details, CWE, or fixed builds. Avoid assuming broader IBM storage exposure without validating against the IBM advisory.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 and 5.0 deployments.
  • Check IBM advisory guidance for fixed levels or interim mitigations.
  • Prioritize remediation on multi-user or externally managed environments.
  • Restrict unnecessary local user access to affected nodes.
  • Monitor for unexpected root command execution or privilege changes.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed IBM Spectrum Scale versions on all nodes.
  • Verify whether unprivileged local users can access affected systems.
  • Review IBM X-Force ID 175977 and IBM support advisory.
  • Check change records for applied IBM fixes or workarounds.
  • Look for unusual privilege escalation indicators in system logs.
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-2020-4273 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.4 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:H/S:U/AV:L/C:H/I:H/UI:N/PR:N/A:H/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
7.4CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/AC:H/S:U/AV:L/C:H/I:H/UI:N/PR:N/A:H/RC:C/E:U/RL:O1.45.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.4High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4273Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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