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Spectrum Protect Operations CenterApplication · Ibm

CVE-2020-4693

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.1.9.000 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 Spectrum Protect Operations Center 7.1.0.000 through 7.1.10 and 8.1.0.000 through 8.1.9 may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system, caused by improper validation of data prior to export. IBM X-Force ID: 186782.

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 confidence

IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center versions 7.1.0.000-7.1.10 and 8.1.0.000-8.1.9 contain a code injection vulnerability in the data export functionality. The application fails to properly validate data before export, allowing an attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code on the affected system with the privileges of the running service.

MitigationApply the vendor-supplied patches or update to a fixed version beyond 7.1.10 and 8.1.9. Review access controls to the Operations Center interface until the patch can be applied, as the CVSS score indicates network-exploitable severity.

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
Spectrum Protect Operations CenterApplication
Affected:>= 7.1.0.000, <= 7.1.10.000>= 8.1.0.000, <= 8.1.9.000

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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. Identify installed IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center version
    Locate the version information in the Operations Center console under 'Help > About' or check the installation directory for version files. Alternatively, query the server via the command line using 'dsmadmc -v' or check the server log files for the version string.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 7.1.0.000 through 7.1.10.000 OR 8.1.0.000 through 8.1.9.000
  2. Verify the data export functionality is present
    Access the Operations Center web interface and navigate to the data export or backup export section. Check if the export feature is available in the menu options under 'Data Protection' or 'Export' tabs.
    Affected if The data export feature exists and is accessible in the Operations Center interface
  3. Confirm Operations Center network accessibility
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the Operations Center web interface (default ports 11090/11091) is exposed to untrusted networks. Check the IBM Spectrum Protect server configuration for listener settings.
    Affected if The Operations Center interface is reachable from network segments beyond the local administrator workstation
  4. Check for recent suspicious export activity
    Review IBM Spectrum Protect audit logs and Operations Center logs for unusual data export operations, particularly exports containing unexpected file types or destinations. Look for entries with 'export' or 'dataout' in the log files.
    Affected if Audit logs show data export operations that were not initiated by authorized administrators

You are affected if the installed Operations Center version is 7.1.0.000-7.1.10.000 or 8.1.0.000-8.1.9.000 and the data export feature is accessible to users.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 8.1.9.000
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor-supplied patches or update to a fixed version beyond 7.1.10 and 8.1.9. Review access controls to the Operations Center interface until the patch can be applied, as the CVSS score indicates network-exploitable severity.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center 7.1.11.000 or later, or 8.1.10.000 or later (or migrate to latest 8.x release)

  1. 1. Identify the current IBM Spectrum Protect Operations Center version in use
  2. 2. Plan for upgrade during a maintenance window to minimize business impact
  3. 3. Backup all critical data and configurations before initiating the upgrade
  4. 4. Download the fixed version (7.1.11.000 or later for the 7.1.x line, or 8.1.10.000 or later for the 8.1.x line) from IBM Fix Central or Passport Advantage
  5. 5. Follow IBM's standard upgrade documentation for Spectrum Protect Operations Center
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Operations Center version
  7. 7. Test critical backup/restore operations to confirm normal functionality
Caveat Review IBM release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between affected and fixed versions; test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Spectrum Protect Operations Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,380
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,808.

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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-2020-4693 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