CVE-2020-4545
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 Aspera Connect 3.9.9 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by improper loading of Dynamic Link Libraries by the import feature. By persuading a victim to open a specially-crafted .DLL file, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 183190.
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 Aspera Connect 3.9.9 contains a DLL hijacking vulnerability in its import feature. The application improperly loads dynamic link libraries, allowing an attacker to place a malicious DLL file that gets executed when the victim opens the crafted file, achieving arbitrary code execution on the target system.
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<= 3.9.9CVSS 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
- 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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Check if IBM Aspera Connect is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features (Windows) or check /Applications folder (macOS), or search for 'Aspera Connect' in the systemAffected if IBM Aspera Connect appears in installed programs
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Determine the installed version of IBM Aspera ConnectRight-click the Aspera Connect application icon, select Properties, and view the Version tab, or run 'aspera --version' from command line if availableAffected if The version number displayed is 3.9.9 or lower
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Identify the Aspera Connect installation directoryLocate the installation folder - typically C:\Program Files\IBM\Aspera Connect\ (Windows) or /Applications/Aspera Connect.app (macOS)Affected if The installation directory exists and contains the application executable
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Check if the import feature is accessible or has been usedLaunch Aspera Connect and navigate to the import function within the client interface, or check recent file access logs if availableAffected if The import feature is present and functional on the system
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Verify the asperahttpd.dll library file locationInspect the Aspera Connect installation directory for the presence of asperahttpd.dll and confirm it is in the application root folder rather than a secure system directoryAffected if The DLL file exists in a user-writable or application directory where an attacker could place a malicious version
A system is affected if IBM Aspera Connect version 3.9.9 or lower is installed and the application or its import feature can be accessed, allowing potential DLL hijacking via the asperahttpd.dll library.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version of IBM Aspera Connect. Until then, avoid opening untrusted DLL files and implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized DLLs.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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-2020-4545 — 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-2020-4545 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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