LiveActive security incident?Get immediate response
CVE Record

CVE-2020-4559: IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1 could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service due ti improper valid...

IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1 could allow an attacker to cause a denial of service due ti improper validation of user-supplied input. IBM X-Force ID: 183613.

MediumCVSS 5.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
Discuss exposureBack to CVEs
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-4559 is a denial-of-service issue in IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1. A remote unauthenticated attacker may be able to disrupt availability by sending improperly validated input. The issue affects service continuity, not data confidentiality or integrity, based on the supplied CVSS data.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate-priority availability risk for backup and recovery operations. It is not described as data theft or code execution, but disruption of Spectrum Protect could affect resilience during incidents or outages. Remediate based on business criticality and network exposure.

Technical view

The CVE describes improper validation of user-supplied input in IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1. CVSS 3.0 is 5.9 with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, high attack complexity, and high availability impact only. IBM X-Force tracks it as ID 183613.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most relevant where IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 or 8.1 is reachable over a network, especially from untrusted networks. The supplied bundle does not identify affected components, ports, configurations, or fixed versions.

Exploitation context

The CVSS vector marks exploit maturity as unproven, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied data. There is no source-provided evidence of active exploitation. Attack complexity is high, but successful exploitation could cause a significant availability impact.

Researcher notes

Key gaps remain in the supplied bundle: no CWE, no affected subcomponent, no fixed version list, and no reproduction details. Analysis should stay tied to IBM's advisory and X-Force entry. Avoid assuming broader IBM products or confirmed exploitation without additional evidence.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all IBM Spectrum Protect 7.1 and 8.1 deployments.
  • Check IBM's advisory for supported fixed levels or interim fixes.
  • Prioritize updates for internet-reachable or business-critical backup infrastructure.
  • Restrict network reachability to trusted administration and service paths where feasible.
  • Monitor Spectrum Protect availability and restart patterns until remediation is complete.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm installed Spectrum Protect versions against the affected 7.1 and 8.1 ranges.
  • Review IBM advisory details for exact vulnerable and fixed build information.
  • Map network exposure to Spectrum Protect services and management interfaces.
  • Check operational logs for unexplained crashes, hangs, or service interruptions.
  • Verify remediation by confirming vendor-documented fixed levels are installed.
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

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-4559 mapping review

Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.

Open ATT&CK lookup
Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
5.9 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/AV:N/C:N/S:U/AC:H/A:H/UI:N/E:U/RC:C/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
5.9CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/AV:N/C:N/S:U/AC:H/A:H/UI:N/E:U/RC:C/RL:O2.23.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

5.9Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4559Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/PR:N/AV:N/C:N/S:U/AC:H/A:H/UI:N/E:U/RC:C/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 Protect7.1, 8.1Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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