CVE-2021-20427Network attack vector

Remote credential brute force via inadequate lockout

Published Aug 11, 2021 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

Improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts in IBM Security Guardium 11.2 allows remote attackers to brute force account credentials. The account lockout setting permits repeated password guesses without an adequate lockout threshold. Unauthenticated remote access is sufficient to attempt guesses; successful guessing can expose the targeted account, with no integrity or availability impact reported.

CVSS severity5.3
Medium
EPSS probability1.34%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper restriction of excessive authentication attempts in IBM Security Guardium 11.2 allows remote attackers to brute force account credentials. The account lockout setting permits repeated password guesses without an adequate lockout threshold. Unauthenticated remote access is sufficient to attempt guesses; successful guessing can expose the targeted account, with no integrity or availability impact reported.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-20427
Published
Aug 11, 2021
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
IBM
Product
IBM Security Guardium
Classifications
CWE-307, T1110
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 11, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=11.2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

IBM · IBM Security Guardiumversion=11.2

Published CVSS scores

5.3IBM CorporationCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
7.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
5.0NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-307Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts
T1110Password Guessing

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo