CVE-2020-4263
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM i2 Intelligent Analyis Platform 9.2.1 could allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by a memory corruption. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted file, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 175646.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceIBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform 9.2.1 contains a memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited via a specially-crafted file. Successful exploitation allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system by persuading a victim to open the malicious file.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 9.2.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm IBM i2 Analysts Notebook is installedCheck the system for the presence of IBM i2 Analysts Notebook. On Windows, look in Add or Remove Programs, or check the installation directory (typically under Program Files or Program Files (x86)\IBM).Affected if The application is not installed on the system.
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Identify the installed versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for the installed version display name.Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.2.1.
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Verify the file import capability is presentCheck if the application can open or import external files. This is the core vulnerable component. Attempt to determine if the analyst notebook file opening functionality exists on the installation.Affected if The application includes the ability to open or import analyst notebook files.
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Assess user access to file operationsDetermine whether standard users can open files within the application. The vulnerability requires a victim to open a malicious file, so verify the application is accessible for such operations.Affected if Standard users have the ability to open files in the application.
The system is affected if IBM i2 Analysts Notebook version 9.2.1 is installed and users can open external files within the application, as this enables the specially-crafted file attack vector.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches or upgrades to IBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform. Until a patch is available, exercise caution with untrusted files and implement application whitelisting to mitigate risk.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4263 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-4263 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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