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CVE Record

CVE-2020-4979: IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 is vulnerable to insecure inter-deployment communication.

IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 is vulnerable to insecure inter-deployment communication. An attacker that is able to comprimise or spoof traffic between hosts may be able to execute arbitrary commands. IBM X-Force D: 192538.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 had insecure communication between deployment hosts. If an attacker can compromise or spoof that traffic, they may execute arbitrary commands. This is a high-impact issue for organizations relying on QRadar for security monitoring.

Executive priority

Treat this as high priority for any QRadar 7.3 or 7.4 environment. QRadar is a security monitoring platform, so compromise could damage both operations and detection confidence. Remediation should be scheduled promptly, especially in distributed deployments.

Technical view

CVE-2020-4979 affects IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 inter-deployment communications. The CVSS 3.0 vector is 7.5 high, with adjacent attack vector, high complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in QRadar deployments running versions 7.3 or 7.4 where multiple hosts communicate across networks an attacker could compromise or spoof. The bundle does not identify affected configurations beyond those versions.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not report active exploitation, and KEV status is false. Exploitation requires the attacker to compromise or spoof traffic between QRadar hosts, which raises complexity but can lead to arbitrary command execution if achieved.

Researcher notes

The bundle attributes the issue to insecure inter-deployment communication and possible arbitrary command execution. Fixed versions, detailed prerequisites, and specific mitigations are not included in the provided data, so validation should rely on IBM advisory guidance rather than assumptions.

Mitigation direction

  • Review IBM support advisory for the official fix and affected build details.
  • Apply IBM-provided QRadar updates or fixes for CVE-2020-4979.
  • Restrict QRadar inter-host communication to trusted management networks.
  • Monitor QRadar hosts for unexpected command execution or inter-host traffic anomalies.
  • Prioritize remediation where QRadar spans less trusted network segments.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory QRadar SIEM deployments and confirm whether versions 7.3 or 7.4 are present.
  • Check IBM advisory details against installed QRadar build and fix level.
  • Review QRadar deployment topology for inter-host communication crossing exposed networks.
  • Confirm security controls prevent spoofing or tampering between QRadar hosts.
  • Document whether each QRadar deployment is fixed, mitigated, or still exposed.
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-2020-4979 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/C:H/PR:N/AV:A/AC:H/UI:N/I:H/S:U/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
7.5CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/C:H/PR:N/AV:A/AC:H/UI:N/I:H/S:U/A:H/RC:C/E:U/RL:O1.65.9Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2020-4979Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/C:H/PR:N/AV:A/AC:H/UI:N/I:H/S:U/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
IBMQRadar SIEM7.3, 7.4Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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