CVE-2014-5505
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedStack-based buffer overflow in SAP Crystal Reports allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted data source string in an RPT file.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in SAP Crystal Reports when parsing RPT files. The vulnerability occurs when the application processes a crafted data source string within an RPT file, causing a buffer overflow on the stack that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate Crystal Reports installationCheck for Crystal Reports in the system: On Windows, search for 'Crystal Reports' in Program Files or Program Files (x86), or check registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SAP BusinessObjects\Crystal Reports for version information.Affected if Crystal Reports is installed on the system.
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Identify installed Crystal Reports versionOpen the Crystal Reports application and navigate to Help > About, or check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SAP BusinessObjects\Crystal Reports\Version for the version value.Affected if Any version of Crystal Reports is installed (all versions are affected per the CVE).
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Check RPT file associationsOn Windows, open Default Programs > Associate a file type or protocol with a program, and look for .rpt file extension to see if Crystal Reports is set as the handler.Affected if RPT files are associated with Crystal Reports, indicating the parsing functionality is active.
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Identify active Crystal Reports runtime componentsCheck running processes for Crystal Reports components such as crw32.exe, crtslv.exe, or ufcpp80.dll loaded in memory. Use Task Manager or process monitoring tools.Affected if Crystal Reports processes or related DLLs are running, enabling RPT file parsing capability.
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Audit RPT files in accessible directoriesSearch local drives for .rpt files using command: dir /s /b C:\*.rpt (or equivalent for your system) to identify report files that could be parsed by Crystal Reports.Affected if RPT files exist on the system and could be processed by Crystal Reports.
If Crystal Reports is installed and RPT file parsing capability is present or accessible, the environment is affected by this vulnerability since all versions contain the flaw.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataRestrict opening of untrusted or unsolicited RPT files. Apply any available vendor patches for Crystal Reports. Implement input validation and network controls to inspect or block suspicious RPT file attachments.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-5505 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-5505 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data