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Security Verify AccessApplication · Ibm

CVE-2021-20585

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-06-01
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 Security Verify Access 20.07 could disclose sensitive information in HTTP server headers that could be used in further attacks against the system. IBM X-Force ID: 199398.

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 Security Verify Access 20.07 contains a vulnerability where HTTP server response headers expose sensitive system information such as version numbers, technology stack details, or configuration specifics. Attackers can leverage this information to fingerprint the system and identify known vulnerabilities specific to the exposed versions, facilitating targeted follow-on attacks.

MitigationConfigure the IBM Security Verify Access HTTP server to suppress or obfuscate sensitive headers (e.g., Server, X-Powered-By, X-Generator) that reveal version or implementation details. Consult IBM documentation for header modification procedures specific to version 20.07.

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
Security Verify AccessApplication
Affected:= 20.07

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
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm IBM Security Verify Access version 20.07 is installed
    Locate the installed version of IBM Security Verify Access in your environment. This is typically available via the product's administration console, command-line interface, or installation directory documentation. Compare your installed version against the affected range (20.07).
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 20.07 (the only affected version per CVE-2021-20585)
  2. Identify the HTTP server endpoint
    Determine the hostname or IP address and port where the IBM Security Verify Access web interface or API is accessible. Common ports include 443, 8443, or custom ports configured during installation.
    Affected if The HTTP server is accessible on a network-visible endpoint
  3. Send a test HTTP request and capture response headers
    Send an HTTP GET request to the verified endpoint (for example, using curl -I https://hostname:port or browser developer tools) and capture all response headers from the server.
    Affected if The server responds with HTTP headers
  4. Inspect headers for sensitive information disclosure
    Examine the response headers specifically for Server, X-Powered-By, X-Generator, or similar headers that reveal version numbers, technology stack (such as Apache, IIS, specific frameworks), or implementation details.
    Affected if Any response header reveals version numbers, technology stack, or configuration specifics (Server, X-Powered-By, X-Generator, or custom headers containing version info)
  5. Check for additional information-leaking headers
    Review the complete header list for other version-revealing headers such as X-Version, X-Build-Info, or product-specific headers that may expose system details.
    Affected if Any header exposes system fingerprinting information

A user is affected if they are running IBM Security Verify Access version 20.07 AND their HTTP server responses contain sensitive headers (Server, X-Powered-By, X-Generator, or similar) that reveal version or implementation details.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Configure the IBM Security Verify Access HTTP server to suppress or obfuscate sensitive headers (e.g., Server, X-Powered-By, X-Generator) that reveal version or implementation details. Consult IBM documentation for header modification procedures specific to version 20.07.

Fix this in Security Verify Access Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $890
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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-2021-20585 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