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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4520: IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 could allow a remote attacker to inject malicious HTML code that when vi...

IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 could allow a remote attacker to inject malicious HTML code that when viewed by the authenticated victim would execute the code. IBM X-Force ID: 182395.

HighCVSS 7.1Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-4520 affects IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1. A remote attacker could place malicious HTML that runs when an authenticated user views it. For executives, the concern is compromise of trusted reporting sessions and potential impact to sensitive analytics data.

Executive priority

Treat as a high-priority remediation item for legacy Cognos environments, especially where reports contain sensitive financial, customer, or operational data. No source in the bundle confirms active exploitation, so prioritize based on exposure and data sensitivity.

Technical view

The issue is an HTML injection flaw in IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1. The CVSS 3.0 score is 7.1, with network attack vector, low privileges required, high complexity, and required user interaction. The source bundle does not specify stored versus reflected behavior.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in environments still running IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 or 11.1. Risk is higher where many users access shared reports, dashboards, or portal content with sensitive business data.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Exploitation requires an authenticated victim to view injected content, and the CVSS vector indicates low attacker privileges and high attack complexity.

Researcher notes

The available evidence identifies HTML injection but omits exploit mechanics, affected subcomponents, and fixed build numbers. Validate against IBM advisory details before closing. Avoid assuming broader IBM or NetApp product impact beyond cited vendor advisories.

Mitigation direction

  • Review IBM advisory 6451705 for fixed versions and vendor instructions.
  • Upgrade or patch affected IBM Cognos Analytics 11.0 and 11.1 deployments.
  • Review NetApp advisory if Cognos is present through NetApp-supported environments.
  • Restrict access to Cognos portals until remediation is complete.
  • Monitor vendor guidance for any updated remediation details.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Cognos Analytics instances and confirm exact major and minor versions.
  • Check whether any exposed instance runs Cognos Analytics 11.0 or 11.1.
  • Confirm IBM-recommended fixes are installed on each affected deployment.
  • Review authentication and access logs for suspicious content-editing activity.
  • Verify security testing covers authenticated HTML injection paths.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
5

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-2020-4520 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
7.1 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/C:H/PR:L/S:U/I:H/UI:R/AV:N/AC:H/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
4Source 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
7.1CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/C:H/PR:L/S:U/I:H/UI:R/AV:N/AC:H/A:H/RC:C/E:U/RL:O1.25.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.1High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4520Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/C:H/PR:L/S:U/I:H/UI:R/AV:N/AC:H/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
IBMCognos Analytics11.0, 11.1Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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