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CVE Record

CVE-2021-20385: IBM Security Guardium 11.2 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the...

IBM Security Guardium 11.2 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: 195766.

HighCVSS 8.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM Security Guardium 11.2 has a high-severity flaw that could let a logged-in remote attacker run commands on the system through a crafted request. Impact is serious because successful exploitation could affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but the attacker needs high privileges and user interaction is noted in CVSS.

Executive priority

Prioritize remediation for any Guardium 11.2 deployment, especially if administrative access is broadly reachable. This is not confirmed actively exploited in the provided sources, but command execution on a security monitoring platform can create high business impact.

Technical view

CVE-2021-20385 is remote authenticated command execution in IBM Security Guardium 11.2. The CVSS 3.0 score is 8.4 with network attack vector, low complexity, high privileges required, user interaction required, changed scope, and high CIA impact. IBM X-Force tracks it as ID 195766.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to environments running IBM Security Guardium 11.2. Systems reachable by privileged Guardium users or administrative networks deserve priority review. The source bundle does not identify other affected versions or deployment-specific prerequisites.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. CVSS exploit maturity is listed as unproven. Treat this as a serious post-authentication risk, not as confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.

Researcher notes

Evidence is concise: IBM Guardium 11.2, crafted request, authenticated remote command execution, IBM X-Force 195766. The CVSS vector indicates high privileges and user interaction, which should shape exposure validation. The bundle does not provide exploit details, affected CPEs, or specific fixed builds.

Mitigation direction

  • Check IBM advisory 6455281 for the official fix or mitigation.
  • Inventory IBM Security Guardium systems and identify any version 11.2 deployments.
  • Restrict administrative access to Guardium management interfaces.
  • Review privileged Guardium accounts and remove unnecessary access.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and update remediation tracking with IBM-confirmed actions.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm exact IBM Security Guardium versions from asset records or console data.
  • Verify whether any Guardium 11.2 instance remains deployed.
  • Check whether IBM-recommended remediation has been applied.
  • Review logs for suspicious privileged requests or unexpected command activity.
  • Validate network access controls around Guardium administrative interfaces.
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-2021-20385 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
8.4 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/I:H/S:C/AV:N/PR:H/C:H/UI:R/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

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
8.4CVSS 3.0HighCVSS:3.0/AC:L/I:H/S:C/AV:N/PR:H/C:H/UI:R/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C1.76Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

8.4High
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2021-20385Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AC:L/I:H/S:C/AV:N/PR:H/C:H/UI:R/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C

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
IBMSecurity Guardium11.2Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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