# CVE-2020-4378: Missing authorization in Spectrum Scale

> Privileged authenticated users can perform unauthorized actions via HTTP POST in IBM Spectrum Scale, requiring patching to prevent privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.9 (`CVSS:3.0/S:U/UI:N/AC:L/C:N/AV:N/A:N/I:H/PR:H/RL:O/RC:C/E:U`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 27 May 2020
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-x8xv-v8v3-jc5h

## What is CVE-2020-4378?

CVE-2020-4378 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Ibm Spectrum Scale, published on 27 May 2020. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.0.0 through 5.0.4.4 could allow a privileged authenticated user to perform unauthorized actions using a specially crated HTTP POST command. IBM X-Force ID: 179157.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-4378?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ibm Spectrum Scale.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-4378?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-4378 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-4378 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-4378 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Ibm Spectrum Scale

- [CVE-2019-4715](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-4715/): Command injection in Spectrum Scale (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-29740](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-29740/): Other in Spectrum Scale (high 8.4)
- [CVE-2019-4558](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-4558/): Privilege escalation in Spectrum Scale (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2020-4217](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4217/): Denial of service in Spectrum Scale (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2020-4273](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4273/): Command injection in Spectrum Scale (high 7.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-4378 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-4378 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Ibm Spectrum Scale, published on 27 May 2020. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-4378 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Ibm Spectrum Scale. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4378/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4378/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-4378
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-4378
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-4378

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4378/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.