CVE-2020-4266
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: 175649.
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 triggered when a victim opens a specially-crafted malicious file. This memory corruption allows a local or remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the targeted system, achieving code execution through file-based exploitation.
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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Verify IBM i2 Analysts Notebook is installedCheck for the application in the system program files directory, Start menu, or by searching for i2 Analysts Notebook or IBM i2 in installed programs. On Windows, check the Add/Remove Programs list or registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for entries containing 'IBM i2' or 'Analysts Notebook'.Affected if The application is present on the system
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Confirm the installed version matches 9.2.1Open the application and navigate to Help > About, or check the program's properties by right-clicking the executable. Compare the exact version number shown against 9.2.1.Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.2.1 (the equals sign indicates this specific version is affected)
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Assess file handling exposureDetermine whether the application is configured to open files from network locations, email attachments, or downloaded files. Check if the system has application whitelisting or restricted permissions on file handling.Affected if Users can open files in the application without restrictive controls, enabling the file-based attack vector
A user is affected if IBM i2 Analysts Notebook version 9.2.1 is installed and users can open files within the application, as the vulnerability is triggered when a specially-crafted malicious file is opened.
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 dataAvoid opening untrusted or unverified files in IBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform. Apply vendor-supplied patches or updates when available. Implement application whitelisting and restrict file handling permissions as compensating controls until official fixes are deployed.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4266 — 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-2020-4266 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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