CVE-2020-4282

Vulnerability

IBM Security Information Queue (ISIQ) versions 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, and 1.0.5 do not properly validate or escape command requests originating from the web UI. An authenticated user could intercept a configuration request and replace product names or other parameters with illegal characters, bypassing intended restrictions [1]. The affected component is the web-based configuration interface, which lacks server-side validation of character encoding. As of version 1.0.6, back-end validation is implemented to detect tampered commands.

Exploitation

An attacker must have valid authentication credentials for the ISIQ web UI to exploit this vulnerability. The attacker then intercepts a legitimate administrative request (e.g., a configuration change), modifies the payload to include illegal characters or special sequences, and forwards the tampered request to the server. The server processes the malformed input without proper sanitization, enabling the attacker to execute actions that should be blocked by character restrictions. No special network position beyond web access is required, but the attack complexity is rated high (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:N/I:L/A:N) [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to perform unauthorized actions within the application, such as modifying configuration values or issuing commands beyond their intended scope. The impact is limited to low integrity compromise (CVSS 3.0), with no direct confidentiality or availability impact. The attacker does not gain privileged system access but can corrupt data or disrupt normal operation within the ISIQ environment [1].

Mitigation

The vulnerability is fixed in IBM Security Information Queue version 1.0.6, which enforces back-end validation of all command requests [1]. There is no workaround for versions 1.0.0–1.0.5; customers must upgrade to 1.0.6 or later. IBM recommends applying the fix as soon as possible, especially in production environments. No known exploitation in the wild or KEV listing was reported at the time of disclosure [1].