Sterling File GatewayApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4280

MEDIUM · 5.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-30
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.0.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
62/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
IBM Sterling File Gateway 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.1.0 displays sensitive information in HTTP requests which could be used in further attacks against the system. IBM X-Force ID: 160503.

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 · moderate confidence

IBM Sterling File Gateway versions 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.1.0 contains a vulnerability where sensitive information is exposed in HTTP request responses. This information disclosure could be leveraged by attackers to gather reconnaissance data for more targeted follow-on attacks against the system.

MitigationIdentify and remediate the code path(s) where sensitive information is being included in HTTP responses. Implement proper data sanitization and ensure sensitive data fields are not echoed back to clients. Apply the appropriate IBM fix patch once available.

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
Sterling File GatewayApplication
Affected:>= 2.2.0.0, <= 6.0.1.0

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify IBM Sterling File Gateway installed version
    Locate the product version through the Sterling File Gateway administration console (typically under 'About' or 'System Information' section) or check version files in the installation directory. Common locations include the 'version.properties' file or the console's system info page.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.1.0 inclusive.
  2. Identify exposed HTTP endpoints
    Review the Sterling File Gateway configuration and map all accessible HTTP endpoints, particularly those handling file transfers, routing rules, or administrative functions. Use the administration console to list active services and their corresponding URLs.
    Affected if Any HTTP endpoints are publicly or internally accessible without proper access controls.
  3. Capture and inspect HTTP response content
    Send test requests to the Sterling File Gateway endpoints (using a tool like curl or a web proxy) and examine the response bodies for any sensitive information leakage. Look for unexpected exposure of file paths, user credentials, session tokens, internal system details, database connection strings, or configuration values.
    Affected if HTTP responses contain sensitive data that should not be returned to the client, such as internal system information, credentials, or configuration details.
  4. Review custom routing or adapter configurations
    Examine any custom routing rules, adapters, or BPEL processes configured in Sterling File Gateway that might be processing and echoing back sensitive data in responses. Check the routing rule definitions and adapter settings through the administration console.
    Affected if Custom routing rules or adapters are configured to return sensitive fields from processed messages in HTTP responses.

The environment is affected if IBM Sterling File Gateway version 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.1.0 is installed and HTTP responses are found to contain sensitive information that should not be exposed to clients.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.0.1.0
Interim mitigation

Identify and remediate the code path(s) where sensitive information is being included in HTTP responses. Implement proper data sanitization and ensure sensitive data fields are not echoed back to clients. Apply the appropriate IBM fix patch once available.

Fix this in Sterling File Gateway Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4280 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-4280 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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