CVE-2021-20536
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 Protect Plus File Systems Agent 10.1.6 and 10.1.7 stores potentially sensitive information in log files that could be read by a local user. IBM X-Force ID: 198836.
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 Protect Plus File Systems Agent versions 10.1.6 and 10.1.7 store potentially sensitive information in log files that can be read by a local user with filesystem access. This represents an information disclosure vulnerability where credentials, session tokens, or other sensitive data may be exposed through improperly secured log files.
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= 10.1.6= 10.1.7CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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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Identify if IBM Spectrum Protect Plus File Systems Agent is installedLocate the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus installation directory and verify the File Systems Agent component exists. Common paths include /opt/ibm/spectrum-protect-plus or C:\Program Files\IBM\Spectrum Protect Plus on Windows.Affected if The product is installed and the File Systems Agent component is present
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Check the installed version of the File Systems AgentRun the agent version command or check the product version file. Typically available via 'vprotect --version' or check version.info in the installation directory.Affected if The version is exactly 10.1.6 or exactly 10.1.7
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Locate log directories used by the File Systems AgentIdentify the log directory path used by the File Systems Agent. Check configuration files or common log paths under the installation directory, typically under logs or var/log subdirectories.Affected if Log directories exist and contain log files from the affected agent versions
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Inspect file permissions on log files and directoriesUse file system commands (ls -la on Linux/Unix or icacls on Windows) to list permissions on the identified log directories and files. Verify if non-privileged users can read the log files.Affected if Log files are readable by users other than the administrator or service account (world-readable or group-readable with broad membership)
You are affected if the IBM Spectrum Protect Plus File Systems Agent version is exactly 10.1.6 or 10.1.7 and its log files are accessible to non-administrative local 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 dataRestrict file permissions on log directories to limit access to authorized administrators only, and apply vendor patches when available to address the underlying logging of sensitive data.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $4,304.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-20536 — 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-2021-20536 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