CVE-2020-4511 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 are susceptible to a denial of service vulnerability due to a flaw in processing sflow commands. This CVE was published on July 13, 2020, with a CVSS base score of 6.5.

Understanding CVE-2020-4511

IBM QRadar SIEM versions 7.3 and 7.4 are impacted by a vulnerability that could be exploited by an authenticated user to disrupt the qflow process by sending a specially crafted sflow command.

What is CVE-2020-4511?

This CVE identifies a vulnerability in IBM QRadar SIEM versions 7.3 and 7.4 that allows an authenticated user to trigger a denial of service condition in the qflow process by sending malformed sflow commands.

The Impact of CVE-2020-4511

The vulnerability poses a medium-severity risk with a CVSS base score of 6.5. If exploited, it could result in a denial of service of the qflow process, impacting the availability of the system.

Technical Details of CVE-2020-4511

IBM QRadar SIEM 7.3 and 7.4 vulnerability details.

Vulnerability Description

Authenticated users can exploit the flaw to cause a denial of service by sending malformed sflow commands.

Affected Systems and Versions

IBM QRadar SIEM versions 7.3 and 7.4 are affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

An authenticated user can trigger the vulnerability by sending a specifically crafted sflow command.

Mitigation and Prevention

Protecting systems from CVE-2020-4511.

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the official fix provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unusual network activity that could indicate exploitation.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch IBM QRadar SIEM to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement network segmentation to limit the impact of potential attacks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all systems running IBM QRadar SIEM are updated with the latest security patches to mitigate the risk of exploitation.