CVE-2020-14490
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 · uneditedOpenClinic GA 5.09.02 and 5.89.05b includes arbitrary local files specified within its parameter and executes some files, which may allow disclosure of sensitive files or the execution of malicious uploaded files.
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 confidenceOpenClinic GA versions 5.09.02 and 5.89.05b contain a file inclusion vulnerability where arbitrary local files can be specified via a parameter and subsequently executed. This Local File Inclusion (LFI) vulnerability can be chained with uploaded malicious files to achieve remote code execution, potentially allowing attackers to read sensitive system files (like /etc/passwd or configuration files) or execute arbitrary code on 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= 5.09.02= 5.89.05bCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenClinic GA installationLocate the OpenClinic GA web application directory (commonly in web server document roots such as /var/www/html/, /opt/tomcat/webapps/, or C:\inetpub\wwwroot\ depending on your OS). Look for the openclinic directory or files containing 'openclinic' in the name.Affected if OpenClinic GA is present on the server in a web-accessible directory.
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Determine installed versionCheck the version file or banner within the OpenClinic GA installation. Common locations include a version.txt, README file, or the admin/about page within the web interface.Affected if The installed version is exactly 5.09.02 or exactly 5.89.05b.
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Identify vulnerable file inclusion parameterReview the application's PHP source files for parameters that accept file paths without proper sanitization. Look for functions like include(), require(), file_get_contents(), or similar that use user-supplied input without validation.Affected if The application uses a parameter to specify files that can be controlled via user input and lacks proper path validation.
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Verify web server exposureCheck your web server configuration (Apache, Nginx, IIS, or Tomcat) to determine if the OpenClinic GA application is accessible from the network (public IP or internal network).Affected if The vulnerable OpenClinic GA instance is accessible over HTTP/HTTPS from network locations.
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Check for path traversal protectionInspect the code handling file inclusion parameters for validation logic. Look for allowlists, removal of '../' sequences, or restriction to specific directories.Affected if No input validation exists or path traversal sequences (../) are not blocked, allowing access outside the intended directory.
You are affected if OpenClinic GA versions 5.09.02 or 5.89.05b are installed and accessible via web, with a file inclusion parameter that lacks proper input validation to prevent path traversal.
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 dataUpgrade OpenClinic GA to a patched version that properly validates and sanitizes file inclusion parameters, or implement input validation/allowlist controls to prevent path traversal and unauthorized file inclusion. Web application firewall (WAF) rules can provide interim protection.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14490 — 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-2020-14490 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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