CVE-2020-4685 : What You Need to Know
Learn about CVE-2020-4685, a high-severity privilege escalation vulnerability in IBM Cognos Controller versions 10.3.0 to 10.4.2. Find out the impact, affected systems, and mitigation steps.
A vulnerability in IBM Cognos Controller versions 10.3.0 to 10.4.2 allows low-level users with admin rights to escalate privileges, potentially leading to unauthorized access and user manipulation.
Understanding CVE-2020-4685
This CVE identifies a privilege escalation issue in IBM Cognos Controller, impacting versions 10.3.0 to 10.4.2.
What is CVE-2020-4685?
The vulnerability enables low-level users to elevate their privileges to Super Admin, granting them unauthorized control over user accounts within Cognos Controller.
The Impact of CVE-2020-4685
The vulnerability poses a high risk as it allows unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges, compromising the integrity and confidentiality of user data within the application.
Technical Details of CVE-2020-4685
This section delves into the technical aspects of the vulnerability.
Vulnerability Description
The flaw in IBM Cognos Controller versions 10.3.0 to 10.4.2 permits low-level users with admin rights to escalate their privileges to Super Admin, granting them unrestricted user management capabilities.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Product: Cognos Controller
- Vendor: IBM
- Affected Versions: 10.3.0, 10.3.1, 10.4.0, 10.4.1, 10.4.2
Exploitation Mechanism
- Attack Complexity: High
- Attack Vector: Network
- Privileges Required: High
- User Interaction: None
- Exploit Code Maturity: Unproven
- Impact: High
Mitigation and Prevention
Protecting systems from CVE-2020-4685 requires immediate actions and long-term security measures.
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply official fixes provided by IBM to address the vulnerability.
- Restrict access rights for low-level users to minimize the risk of privilege escalation.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Regularly review and update user access levels to prevent unauthorized privilege escalation.
- Conduct security training to educate users on best practices for maintaining secure access controls.
Patching and Updates
- Stay informed about security bulletins and updates from IBM to promptly apply patches addressing vulnerabilities like CVE-2020-4685.