CVE-2020-15543
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 · uneditedSolarWinds Serv-U FTP server before 15.2.1 does not validate an argument path.
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 confidenceSolarWinds Serv-U FTP server before version 15.2.1 fails to validate an argument path, allowing unauthenticated attackers to potentially perform directory traversal attacks and access files outside the intended directory scope.
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< 15.2.1CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 if Serv-U FTP Server is installedCheck for Serv-U installation by reviewing installed programs list, or search for Serv-U executable files in Program Files directories, or check Windows Services for 'Serv-U' FTP Server serviceAffected if Serv-U FTP Server is found on the system
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Determine installed Serv-U versionOpen Serv-U Administrator console and view the About/Version information, or check the Windows Programs and Features list for the Serv-U version entry, or examine the Serv-U executable file properties for version detailsAffected if Installed version is lower than 15.2.1 (for example, 15.2.0, 15.1.x, or earlier)
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Verify FTP service is accessible to networkCheck if the Serv-U FTP service is listening on ports 21 (or configured FTP port) and is reachable from network sources outside the local machineAffected if FTP service is exposed to network and version is below 15.2.1
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Check directory isolation configurationReview Serv-U domain and user settings in Serv-U Administrator to verify if directory isolation or chroot restrictions are properly configured to limit user access to designated directoriesAffected if Directory isolation is not enforced and version is below 15.2.1
If Serv-U FTP Server is installed with a version lower than 15.2.1 and the FTP service is network-accessible, the environment is affected by this directory traversal vulnerability.
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.
dbcve · scoped15.2.1
Upgrade to Serv-U version 15.2.1 or later which includes proper path argument validation. If immediate patching is not possible, implement network-level access controls to limit FTP server exposure.
Serv-U FTP Server 15.2.1 or later
- 1. Back up the current Serv-U FTP Server configuration and all user data.
- 2. Download Serv-U FTP Server version 15.2.1 or later from the official SolarWinds download portal at solarwinds.com or through your customer portal.
- 3. Stop the Serv-U FTP Server service to ensure a clean update process.
- 4. Install the downloaded version 15.2.1 or later, following the on-screen installation wizard instructions.
- 5. After installation completes, verify that the version number reflects 15.2.1 or higher.
- 6. Start the Serv-U FTP Server service and confirm all services are running normally.
- 7. Test FTP functionality to ensure the server is operational after the update.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2020-15543 — 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-2020-15543 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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