CVE-2020-4471 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 are vulnerable to a denial of service attack and DNS session hijacking through specially crafted HTTP commands.

Understanding CVE-2020-4471

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause a denial of service or hijack DNS sessions by sending a specially crafted HTTP command to the remote server.

What is CVE-2020-4471?

CVE-2020-4471 is a vulnerability in IBM Spectrum Protect Plus versions 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 that could be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker to trigger a denial of service or hijack DNS sessions.

The Impact of CVE-2020-4471

The vulnerability has a CVSS base score of 4.8 (Medium severity) and could result in a denial of service or DNS session hijacking.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-4471

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.5 is susceptible to exploitation through specially crafted HTTP commands.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability allows an unauthenticated attacker to send malicious HTTP commands, leading to denial of service or DNS session hijacking.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: Spectrum Protect Plus
Vendor: IBM
Vulnerable Versions: 10.1.0, 10.1.5

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: High
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven
User Interaction: None

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate action and long-term security practices are crucial to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2020-4471.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply official fixes provided by IBM.
Monitor network traffic for any suspicious activity.
Implement firewall rules to restrict access.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the software to the latest version.
Conduct security assessments and penetration testing.

Patching and Updates

Ensure all systems running IBM Spectrum Protect Plus are updated with the latest patches and security fixes.