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CVE Record

CVE-2021-20434: IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 stores user credentials in plain clear text which can be read by a local...

IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 stores user credentials in plain clear text which can be read by a local user. IBM X-Force ID: 196346.

MediumCVSS 4.1Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 can store user credentials in clear text. A local user could read those credentials, creating a confidentiality risk and potential follow-on account misuse. This is not described as remotely exploitable in the provided sources.

Executive priority

Treat this as a moderate-priority secret exposure issue. It is less urgent than an internet-facing remote exploit, but stored credentials can expand impact if a privileged local user or compromised host account accesses them.

Technical view

The CVE describes clear-text credential storage in IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0. CVSS v3.0 score is 4.1 with local attack vector, high privileges, high complexity, no user interaction, and high confidentiality impact only. No CWE is listed in the source bundle.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to environments running IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0, especially shared administration or service-host scenarios. The main risk is local disclosure of stored credentials, not direct remote compromise.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. Exploitation requires local access with high privileges and high complexity, according to the provided CVSS vector.

Researcher notes

Key constraints are version-specific impact and limited public detail. The bundle confirms IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 and X-Force ID 196346, but does not provide file paths, proof details, or a specific fixed version. Avoid assuming broader IBM Verify exposure.

Mitigation direction

  • Review IBM advisory guidance for the supported remediation path.
  • Update or replace IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 if IBM identifies a fixed release.
  • Restrict local host access to trusted administrators only.
  • Rotate affected credentials after remediation if exposure is suspected.
  • Review file permissions around credential storage locations per IBM guidance.

Validation and detection

  • Identify whether IBM Security Verify Bridge 1.0.5.0 is deployed.
  • Confirm the installed version against asset inventory and host records.
  • Check whether IBM advisory remediation has been applied.
  • Review local access lists for users with host-level privileges.
  • Look for evidence of unauthorized local credential access.
Prepared
Confidence
high
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-2021-20434 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
Medium
CVSS
4.1 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/PR:H/AV:L/S:U/UI:N/C:H/I:N/A:N/AC: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
4.1CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/PR:H/AV:L/S:U/UI:N/C:H/I:N/A:N/AC:H/RC:C/E:U/RL:O0.53.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

4.1Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2021-20434Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/PR:H/AV:L/S:U/UI:N/C:H/I:N/A:N/AC: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
IBMSecurity Verify Bridge1.0.5.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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