What is CVE-2021-20418?

CVE-2021-20418 is a critical-severity vulnerability in IBM Security Guardium, classified under Weak Password Requirements. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2021-08-11.

How severe is CVE-2021-20418?

Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in IBM Security Guardium

CVE-2021-20418

IBM Security Guardium 11.2 does not require that users should have strong passwords by default, which makes it easier for attackers to compromise user accounts. IBM X-Force ID: 196279.

Published 2021-08-11 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.010 (60.1th percentile), scored 2026-09-29.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 60th percentile — 60.1% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.010 · newest: 0.010 · change: 0.000

Affected products

IBM Security Guardium — versions 11.2
IBM Security Guardium — versions 11.2
Linux Kernel

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-521 — Weak Password Requirements

References

www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6479899 (Vendor Advisory)
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/196279 (VDB Entry, vdb-entry, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-20418?: CVE-2021-20418 is a critical-severity vulnerability in IBM Security Guardium, classified under Weak Password Requirements. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2021-08-11.
How severe is CVE-2021-20418?: Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.