CVE-2020-12802
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 · uneditedLibreOffice has a 'stealth mode' in which only documents from locations deemed 'trusted' are allowed to retrieve remote resources. This mode is not the default mode, but can be enabled by users who want to disable LibreOffice's ability to include remote resources within a document. A flaw existed where remote graphic links loaded from docx documents were omitted from this protection prior to version 6.4.4. This issue affects: The Document Foundation LibreOffice versions prior to 6.4.4.
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 confidenceLibreOffice includes a 'stealth mode' that restricts remote resource loading to only documents from trusted locations. A flaw existed in versions prior to 6.4.4 where remote graphic links embedded in DOCX documents were excluded from this stealth mode protection, allowing remote images to load even when the feature was enabled by security-conscious users.
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= 31< 6.4.4= 15.1= 15.2CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm LibreOffice installation and versionRun 'libreoffice --version' or open LibreOffice and navigate to Help > About to view the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is earlier than 6.4.4 (for example, 6.4.3, 6.4.2, 6.3.x, or earlier)
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Identify if stealth mode is enabledIn LibreOffice, go to Tools > Options > Security > Security Options and look for the 'stealth mode' or 'restrict remote content loading' setting, or check the relevant configuration file in the user profileAffected if Stealth mode is explicitly turned ON (the vulnerability only affects users who have enabled this feature expecting protection)
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Determine if you work with DOCX documentsReview your workflow to see if you open or create Microsoft Word DOCX files that may contain embedded imagesAffected if You regularly open DOCX files from untrusted or external sources
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Check for remote image references in DOCX filesOpen a DOCX file in LibreOffice, right-click any embedded image, and check if the image source URL points to an external HTTP/HTTPS location rather than a local file pathAffected if DOCX documents you open contain remote graphic links pointing to external URLs
You are affected if LibreOffice version is below 6.4.4, stealth mode is enabled, and you open DOCX documents containing remote image URLs
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 data6.4.4
Upgrade LibreOffice to version 6.4.4 or later to receive the patch that corrects the stealth mode protection for remote graphics in DOCX files.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-12802 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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