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I2 Analysts NotebookApplication · Ibm

CVE-2020-4288

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 · unedited
IBM i2 Intelligent Analyis Platform 9.2.1 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by a memory corruption error. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted document, a remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system with the privileges of the victim or cause the application to crash. IBM X-Force ID: 176270.

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 · high confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in IBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform 9.2.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking victims into opening specially-crafted malicious documents. The vulnerability stems from the software failing to properly handle malformed input, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for code execution with the victim's privileges.

MitigationOrganizations should immediately identify all deployments of IBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform 9.2.1, apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a supported version, and restrict the opening of untrusted documents until patches are applied.

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
I2 Analysts NotebookApplication
Affected:= 9.2.1

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify IBM i2 Analysts Notebook is installed
    Check for the application in Program Files (Windows) or /Applications (Mac), or use system inventory tools to find installed software. Look for 'IBM i2 Analysts Notebook' or 'i2 Analysts Notebook' in installed programs.
    Affected if The software is not found on the system, then this CVE does not apply.
  2. Determine the installed version number
    Open the application and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the executable and select Properties > Details to view the version. Alternatively, check the version in Windows Add/Remove Programs or macOS Applications folder.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 9.2.1 - this is the only affected version for this CVE.
  3. Confirm the application is accessible to users
    Verify that the executable exists and users have permissions to launch it. Check if the application is publicly accessible or if it runs with elevated privileges.
    Affected if Users can launch the application and open document files - the vulnerability is triggered when users open malicious documents.
  4. Audit recent document opening activity
    Review application logs, Windows Event Logs (especially for application crashes), or endpoint detection logs for any recent incidents involving Analysts Notebook opening unexpected or suspicious files.
    Affected if There are logs or evidence of users opening untrusted .ibd, .csv, or other data files that could have exploited this vulnerability.

The environment is affected only if IBM i2 Analysts Notebook version 9.2.1 is installed and users can open document files with the application - the vulnerability requires a victim to open a specially-crafted malicious file.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Organizations should immediately identify all deployments of IBM i2 Intelligent Analysis Platform 9.2.1, apply the vendor-supplied patch or upgrade to a supported version, and restrict the opening of untrusted documents until patches are applied.

Fix this in I2 Analysts Notebook Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-4288 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data