CVE-2020-36605 is a vulnerability classified under CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting multiple Hitachi products running on Linux, specifically the Hitachi Infrastructure Analytics Advisor (Analytics probe component), Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer (Analyzer probe component), and Hitachi Ops Center Viewpoint (Viewpoint RAID Agent component). The flaw arises from improper default file permissions that allow local users with limited privileges to read and write certain files that should be more strictly protected. This vulnerability affects versions from 2.0.0-00 through 4.4.0-00 of Hitachi Infrastructure Analytics Advisor; versions from 10.0.0-00 before 10.9.0-00 of Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer; and versions from 10.8.0-00 before 10.9.0-00 of Hitachi Ops Center Viewpoint. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 6.6 (medium severity), with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H, indicating that exploitation requires local access with low privileges, no user interaction, and results in low confidentiality and integrity impacts but high availability impact. The vulnerability could allow an attacker with local access to modify or read sensitive files, potentially leading to disruption of analytics services or manipulation of monitoring data. No known exploits have been reported in the wild, and no patches are explicitly linked in the provided data, though newer versions presumably address the issue. This vulnerability is significant in environments where these Hitachi products are deployed, especially in Linux-based infrastructures where local user access might be possible.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2020-36605 can be substantial, particularly for those relying on Hitachi's infrastructure analytics and monitoring solutions in critical IT environments. The ability for a local user to read and write files improperly protected could lead to unauthorized data exposure or tampering with monitoring data, which may compromise the integrity of infrastructure analytics and operational insights. This could result in incorrect operational decisions, delayed detection of system faults, or denial of service conditions due to corrupted analytics components. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public services—where Hitachi products might be used for infrastructure monitoring—the disruption or manipulation of analytics data could have cascading effects on service availability and compliance with regulatory requirements like GDPR. Additionally, the requirement for local access means that insider threats or attackers who have gained initial footholds could escalate their impact by exploiting this vulnerability. The medium severity rating suggests that while the vulnerability is not trivially exploitable remotely, the consequences of exploitation could still be disruptive and costly.

European organizations should take the following specific actions to mitigate CVE-2020-36605: 1) Immediately identify and inventory all instances of affected Hitachi products (Infrastructure Analytics Advisor, Ops Center Analyzer, and Ops Center Viewpoint) running on Linux within their environments. 2) Upgrade affected products to the latest available versions where this vulnerability is addressed; if patches are not yet available, contact Hitachi support for interim guidance or workarounds. 3) Restrict local user access to systems running these products to only trusted administrators and service accounts, minimizing the attack surface. 4) Implement strict file system permissions and conduct audits to ensure that files related to these components are not writable or readable by unauthorized users. 5) Employ host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor for unusual file access or modification attempts on these components. 6) Enforce strong access controls and segmentation to prevent lateral movement that could lead to local access on affected hosts. 7) Regularly review logs and alerts from these Hitachi products for signs of tampering or anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. 8) Educate system administrators about the risks of local privilege misuse and the importance of timely patching and access control.