What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-20490?

CVE-2021-20490 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (Medium). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.2%.

Spectrum Protect Plus CVE-2021-20490

MEDIUM

Incorrect Default Permissions (CWE-276)

2021-06-29 psirt@us.ibm.com

Privilege Escalation Denial Of Service IBM Spectrum Protect Plus

5.5

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-276 OWASP Top 10:2025 A01:2025 - Broken Access Control ASVS 5.0 V13 - Configuration Default permission hardening MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Privilege Escalation The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A local attacker with access to the system could access resources due to overly permissive default settings.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).

No patch listed yet 0.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.8 could allow a local user to cause a denial of service due to insecure file permission settings. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Set restrictive default permissions, follow principle of least privilege, review defaults during deployment.

Affects your stack

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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified as Incorrect Default Permissions (CWE-276), which allows attackers to access resources due to overly permissive default settings. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.8 could allow a local user to cause a denial of service due to insecure file permission settings. IBM X-Force ID: 197791. Affected products include: Ibm Spectrum Protect Plus. Version information: through 10.1.8.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM

AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

None

Integrity

None

Availability

High

DescriptionNVD

IBM Spectrum Protect Plus 10.1.0 through 10.1.8 could allow a local user to cause a denial of service due to insecure file permission settings. IBM X-Force ID: 197791.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.2%

Top 90% exploitable

Data Quality

2 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity MEDIUM

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.2%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Defer

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Small

Automatable· derived

Human Impact· derived

Medium

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +28

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Denial of Service MEDIUM

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.