CVE-2020-4850
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 Spectrum Scale 1.1.1.0 through 1.1.8.4 Transparent Cloud Tiering could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information, caused by the leftover files after configuration. IBM X-Force ID: 190298.
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 confidenceIBM Spectrum Scale versions 1.1.1.0 through 1.1.8.4 Transparent Cloud Tiering feature leaves behind configuration files after setup that may contain sensitive information such as credentials or access keys. A remote attacker could exploit these leftover files to obtain sensitive data used for cloud tiering operations.
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= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.3= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 1.1.6= 1.1.7= 1.1.8CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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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Confirm IBM Spectrum Scale installationRun 'mmfsadm -v' or check installed packages for IBM Spectrum Scale versionAffected if Version falls between 1.1.1.0 and 1.1.8.4 inclusive
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Verify Transparent Cloud Tiering feature usageCheck if TCT was ever configured by reviewing system logs, documentation, or running 'mmdiag --tct' if availableAffected if TCT feature was set up on this system
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Locate TCT configuration filesSearch for configuration files in the GPFS file system directories, typically under /var/mmfs/ or within the cluster configuration paths used during TCT setupAffected if Any TCT configuration files exist on the system
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Inspect TCT configuration files for credentialsOpen and review the contents of any found TCT configuration files for cloud provider access keys, secret keys, credentials, or authentication tokensAffected if Files contain plaintext credentials, access keys, or sensitive authentication data
System is affected if IBM Spectrum Scale version 1.1.1.0-1.1.8.4 is installed AND Transparent Cloud Tiering was configured, with leftover configuration files containing sensitive credentials present on disk
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 dataIdentify and remove all leftover configuration files from the Transparent Cloud Tiering setup process. Rotate any credentials or access keys that may have been exposed. Consult IBM documentation for proper secure configuration procedures.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4850 — 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-2020-4850 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