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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 9 Oct 2024. Known ransomware use
Sql ServerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2020-0618

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-11
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable Zero-click Patch available

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
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services when it incorrectly handles page requests, aka 'Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'.

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

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) due to incorrect handling of page requests. An attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted page requests to the SSRS web service, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution on the affected system.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2020-0618 to the SQL Server Reporting Services installation. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to SSRS endpoints and disable unused SSRS features.

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
Sql ServerApplication
Affected:= 2012= 2014= 2016

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 SQL Server Reporting Services is installed
    Open Services (services.msc) and look for 'SQL Server Reporting Services' or 'ReportServer' service. Alternatively, check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\Instance Names\RS for installed instances.
    Affected if The SSRS/ReportServer service exists on the system
  2. Identify the SQL Server version
    Run 'SELECT @@VERSION' via sqlcmd or check registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\[InstanceID]\Setup\Version
    Affected if The installed version matches SQL Server 2012, 2014, or 2016
  3. Confirm SSRS is running
    In Services console, verify the ReportServer service status is 'Running'. Also check if the SSRS web portal URLs are accessible (typically ports 80/443 or 8080/8443).
    Affected if The SSRS service is running and the web portal is accessible over the network
  4. Check if security update is applied
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View Installed Updates, or run: wmic qfe list | findstr /i "4535706"
    Affected if Security update KB4535706 is NOT installed

A system is affected if SQL Server 2012, 2014, or 2016 with Reporting Services is installed, the SSRS service is running and accessible, and KB4535706 has not been installed.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch portal.msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2020-0618 to the SQL Server Reporting Services installation. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to SSRS endpoints and disable unused SSRS features.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to SQL Server 2017 or SQL Server 2019 (latest supported versions) for long-term fix

  1. Identify the exact SQL Server version and build number by running 'SELECT @@VERSION' in SQL Server Management Studio
  2. Navigate to the Microsoft Security Response Center (msrc.microsoft.com) and search for CVE-2020-0618 to locate the applicable KB article for your SQL Server version
  3. For SQL Server 2012: Apply Security Update KB4532098 or later, or upgrade to SQL Server 2012 SP4 with latest CU
  4. For SQL Server 2014: Apply Security Update KB4532097 or later, or upgrade to SQL Server 2014 SP3 with latest CU
  5. For SQL Server 2016: Apply Security Update KB4532087 or later, or upgrade to SQL Server 2016 SP2 with latest CU
  6. Download and install the appropriate security update from Microsoft Update Catalog or through Windows Update
  7. Restart the SQL Server Reporting Services service after applying the patch
  8. Verify the patch was installed successfully by checking the SQL Server version again
Caveat Security updates typically have minimal breaking changes; test in non-production environment first to ensure compatibility with existing applications

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Sql Server Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2020-0618 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