CVE-2020-4428

What is this vulnerability?

CVE-2020-4428 is categorized as a critical OS Command Injection flaw with a CVSS base score of 9.1. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.

IBM Data Risk Manager 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, and 2.0.4 could allow a remote authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the system. IBM X-Force ID: 180533.

This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.

Risk Assessment

Impact on Systems

✅ Data Exfiltration: Attackers can extract sensitive data from backend databases, configuration files, or internal services.

✅ Authentication Bypass: Exploiting this flaw may allow unauthorized access to protected resources and administrative interfaces.

✅ Lateral Movement: Once initial access is gained, attackers can pivot to internal systems and escalate privileges.

How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2020-4428

1. Apply Vendor Patches Immediately: This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
2. Verify Patch Deployment: Confirm all instances are updated using Precogs continuous monitoring.
3. Review Audit Logs: Investigate historical access logs for indicators of compromise related to this attack surface.
4. Implement Defense-in-Depth: Deploy WAF rules, network segmentation, and endpoint detection to limit blast radius.

Defending with Precogs AI

A path traversal vulnerability exists in IBM Data Risk Manager, allowing attackers to access unauthorized directories. Adversaries extract the server's private keys or configuration databases to escalate privileges. Precogs Application Security Module tracks untrusted input to file-system traversal sinks.

Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.

Start scanning with Precogs →

Vulnerability Code Signature

Attack Data Flow

Vulnerable Code Pattern

// ❌ VULNERABLE: OS command injection
const { exec } = require('child_process');
function pingHost(host) {
  // Taint sink: unvalidated host string executed in shell
  exec('ping -c 4 ' + host, (error, stdout, stderr) => {
    console.log(stdout);
  });
}

Secure Code Pattern

// ✅ SECURE: ExecFile with parameter arrays
const { execFile } = require('child_process');
function pingHost(host) {
  // Sanitized execution: arguments passed safely, bypassing shell interpolation
  execFile('ping', ['-c', '4', host], (error, stdout, stderr) => {
    console.log(stdout);
  });
}

How Precogs Detects This

Precogs AI Analysis Engine natively intercepts unsafe OS command execution sinks, ensuring all arguments are properly separated from the execution context.\n