CVE-2020-4486
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 QRadar 7.2.0 thorugh 7.2.9 could allow an authenticated user to overwrite or delete arbitrary files due to a flaw after WinCollect installation. IBM X-Force ID: 181861.
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 QRadar versions 7.2.0 through 7.2.9 contain a flaw that allows an authenticated user to overwrite or delete arbitrary files on the system. The vulnerability is triggered after WinCollect installation and likely stems from insufficient path validation or improper permission controls in the WinCollect integration with QRadar.
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>= 7.2.0, <= 7.2.9CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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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Identify installed QRadar versionUse the QRadar administrative console or run the version check command to determine the exact QRadar SIEM versionAffected if The version is 7.2.0 through 7.2.9 inclusive
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Confirm WinCollect installationCheck the QRadar console or system inventory to verify that WinCollect is installed and configured as a log sourceAffected if WinCollect is installed on the QRadar system
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Verify WinCollect configuration permissionsReview the WinCollect configuration settings and associated file permissions in the QRadar interface and filesystemAffected if WinCollect configuration allows authenticated users to specify arbitrary file paths or lacks proper path validation controls
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Check for unauthorized file accessAudit QRadar and WinCollect logs for any evidence of arbitrary file overwrite or delete operations performed by authenticated usersAffected if Logs show file operations outside the expected WinCollect data directories
A user is affected if QRadar version is 7.2.0-7.2.9, WinCollect is installed, and the vulnerable path validation/permission misconfiguration is present.
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 the vendor patch for CVE-2020-4486 to QRadar installations, and ensure WinCollect is properly configured with least-privilege permissions to prevent authenticated users from manipulating arbitrary filesystem paths.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4486 — 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-2020-4486 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data