CVE-2014-8315
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 · uneditedpolestar_xml.jsp in SAP BusinessObjects Explorer 14.0.5 build 882 replies with different timing depending on if a connection can be made, which allows remote attackers to conduct port scanning attacks via a host name and port in the cms parameter.
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 confidenceThe polestar_xml.jsp page in SAP BusinessObjects Explorer 14.0.5 exhibits timing differences based on whether a TCP connection to a user-supplied host:port in the cms parameter succeeds or fails. An attacker can exploit this timing side-channel to perform port scanning against internal networks reachable by the server.
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 data= 14.0.5CVSS 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
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
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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Verify SAP BusinessObjects Explorer is installedLocate the BusinessObjects Explorer web application directory or check system inventory for this SAP componentAffected if BusinessObjects Explorer is present on the system
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Confirm the version is 14.0.5Check the installed version through SAP lifecycle management tools or examine version files in the application directoryAffected if Version equals 14.0.5 exactly
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Locate the polestar_xml.jsp fileSearch the web application directory for polestar_xml.jsp (typically under the explorer or polestar application path)Affected if The file exists in the deployment
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Test if the vulnerable endpoint is accessibleSend an HTTP request to the polestar_xml.jsp page without authentication credentialsAffected if The page responds without requiring login
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Verify the timing side-channel existsSend two requests with the cms parameter set to different host:port values (one that will refuse connection, one that will timeout), and compare response timesAffected if Response times vary noticeably based on whether the TCP connection to the supplied host:port succeeds or fails
The environment is affected if BusinessObjects Explorer version 14.0.5 is installed, the polestar_xml.jsp endpoint is accessible without authentication, and the page exhibits measurable timing differences when given reachable versus unreachable host:port values in the cms parameter.
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 dataImplement response timing normalization so the page returns in consistent time regardless of connection outcome, or add authentication/authorization controls to restrict access to this endpoint.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-8315 — 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-2014-8315 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
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