CVE-2020-4347
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 InfoSphere Information Server 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7 could be subject to attacks based on privilege escalation due to inappropriate file permissions for files used by WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment. IBM X-Force ID: 178412.
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 confidenceIBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7 contain files used by WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment with inappropriate file permissions, allowing unprivileged users to modify executable files or configuration files and potentially escalate privileges to execute code with elevated permissions.
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= 11.3= 11.5= 11.7CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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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Identify if IBM InfoSphere Information Server is installedLook for InfoSphere installation directories or check installed software listings on the system. Common locations include /opt/IBM/InformationServer or C:\IBM\InformationServer on Windows.Affected if IBM InfoSphere Information Server is present on the system
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Determine the installed version of InfoSphereCheck the version of IBM InfoSphere Information Server. Look for version information in installation directories, registry entries, or use system inventory tools that report installed IBM software.Affected if The installed version is 11.3, 11.5, or 11.7
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Locate WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment filesFind files associated with WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment within the InfoSphere installation. These are typically under the WebSphere or ASBNode directories within the InfoSphere folder structure.Affected if WebSphere Application Server files exist within the InfoSphere installation
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Check file permissions on executable filesReview permissions on executable files (.exe, .sh, .bat, .dll, .so) in the WebSphere directories. Use OS-native commands such as 'ls -la' on Unix/Linux or access control lists on Windows to identify permissions.Affected if Executable files are writable by unprivileged users (world-writable or group-writable by unauthorized groups)
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Check file permissions on configuration filesReview permissions on configuration files (.xml, .properties, .config, .ini) in the WebSphere directories. Use OS-native commands or tools to identify who has write access.Affected if Configuration files are writable by unprivileged users (world-writable or group-writable by unauthorized groups)
The environment is affected if IBM InfoSphere Information Server versions 11.3, 11.5, or 11.7 are installed AND WebSphere Application Server files within the installation have world-writable or group-writable permissions accessible to unprivileged users.
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 dataReview and correct file permissions on WebSphere Application Server files to remove world/group writable access, ensuring only authorized users and processes have write access to executable and configuration files.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,392.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4347 — 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-2020-4347 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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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.
- 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