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CVE Record

CVE-2021-20494: IBM Security Identity Manager Adapters 6.0 and 7.0 are vulnerable to a heap based buffer overflow, caused b...

IBM Security Identity Manager Adapters 6.0 and 7.0 are vulnerable to a heap based buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds. An authenticared user could overflow the buffer and cause the service to crash. IBM X-Force ID: 197882.

MediumCVSS 6.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

This vulnerability can let a logged-in attacker crash IBM Security Identity Manager Adapters 6.0 or 7.0. The known impact is service availability, not data theft or data modification. Business urgency depends on whether these adapters are exposed to untrusted authenticated users or support critical identity workflows.

Executive priority

Treat as a moderate availability risk. Prioritize remediation for identity environments where adapter downtime could disrupt account provisioning, administration, or operational access. It is less urgent than vulnerabilities with confirmed exploitation or data compromise impact.

Technical view

CVE-2021-20494 is a heap-based buffer overflow in IBM Security Identity Manager Adapters 6.0 and 7.0 caused by improper bounds handling. CVSS 3.0 is 6.5: network reachable, low privileges required, no user interaction, high availability impact, no confidentiality or integrity impact.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to organizations running IBM Security Identity Manager Adapters 6.0 or 7.0. Risk increases if adapter services are network reachable by many authenticated users or tied to critical provisioning, authentication, or identity administration processes.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation requires authenticated access and is described as causing a service crash. No source in the bundle supports remote unauthenticated compromise or data disclosure.

Researcher notes

The bundle identifies the bug class and impact but does not include detailed affected adapter names, fixed build numbers, or exploit telemetry. Avoid assuming code execution or broader product impact without IBM advisory confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify all IBM Security Identity Manager Adapter deployments and versions.
  • Review IBM advisory node 6465875 for the vendor-approved remediation path.
  • Apply IBM-provided fixes or updates where applicable.
  • Restrict network access to adapter services to trusted administrative paths.
  • Monitor affected services for abnormal crashes or repeated restart events.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether versions 6.0 or 7.0 are present in inventory.
  • Verify adapter services are not broadly reachable from untrusted networks.
  • Check service logs for unexplained crashes or availability interruptions.
  • Confirm remediation status against IBM advisory guidance.
  • Document any compensating access controls around affected adapters.
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-2021-20494 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
6.5 (3.0)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/C:N/AC:L/AV:N/UI:N/A:H/PR:L/S:U/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
6.5CVSS 3.0MediumCVSS:3.0/I:N/C:N/AC:L/AV:N/UI:N/A:H/PR:L/S:U/E:U/RC:C/RL:O2.83.6Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.0 score

6.5Medium
CVSS 3.0 vector shape for CVE-2021-20494Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.0/I:N/C:N/AC:L/AV:N/UI:N/A:H/PR:L/S:U/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
IBMSecurity Identity Manager Adapters6.0, 7.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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