CVE-2020-4434

Vulnerability

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in certain IBM Aspera applications, specifically within the http fallback service. The issue arises based on product configuration and requires valid authentication. Affected versions include multiple Aspera products prior to the fixed releases listed in the IBM security bulletin [1]. The vulnerability is identified as CVE-2020-4434.

Exploitation

An attacker must have valid authentication credentials and intimate knowledge of the target system. The attack vector is network-based, with high attack complexity (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). The attacker can trigger the buffer overflow by sending specially crafted requests to the http fallback service, leading to memory corruption.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code or perform a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. The impact is high on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, potentially leading to full system compromise.

Mitigation

IBM has released fixes for the affected Aspera applications. Users should update to the versions specified in the security bulletin [1]. No workarounds are documented. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog as of the publication date.