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Patient Information Center IxApplication · Philips

CVE-2020-16214

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
53/100
Remediation priority · Moderate
No privileges

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
In Patient Information Center iX (PICiX) Versions B.02, C.02, C.03, the software saves user-provided information into a comma-separated value (CSV) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by spreadsheet software.

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 confidence

CSV injection vulnerability in Philips Patient Information Center iX where user-supplied data is written to CSV files without neutralizing special elements. Cells starting with characters like =, +, -, @, or tab are interpreted as formulas by spreadsheet software, potentially enabling DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) attacks or arbitrary command execution when the exported CSV is opened in Excel or similar applications.

MitigationImplement input validation to escape or remove formula-initiating characters (=, +, -, @, \t, \r) from all user-provided data before writing to CSV, or use a dedicated CSV encoding library that handles special character escaping automatically.

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
Patient Information Center IxApplication
Affected:= b.02= c.02= c.03

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Identify the installed version of Philips Patient Information Center iX
    Access the system information or About section in the Patient Information Center iX interface, or check the software inventory/dashboard for the installed version number (typically found under System Settings, Administration, or a Help/About menu)
    Affected if The installed version matches b.02, c.02, or c.03 exactly as listed in the affected versions
  2. Locate the CSV export functionality
    Search the application menus for any export, report, download, or data output features that produce CSV files. Common locations include patient reports, data export utilities, or batch reporting tools
    Affected if CSV export functionality exists and is accessible in the installed version
  3. Determine if user-supplied data can be included in exports
    Identify input fields where clinical or administrative staff enter data (patient names, notes, comments, custom fields) that could be included in CSV exports. Review the data entry workflow and export configuration
    Affected if User-modifiable fields (such as notes, custom fields, or patient annotations) can be included in the exported CSV output
  4. Test for formula injection characters in exported data
    Create a test entry using formula-initiating characters (=, +, -, @) in user-accessible fields, then generate a CSV export and open it in a spreadsheet application to observe whether the characters are interpreted as formulas
    Affected if The exported CSV displays formula execution or interprets the special characters as spreadsheet formulas rather than literal text

If the installed version is b.02, c.02, or c.03 AND the CSV export feature is actively used with user-supplied input fields, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2020-16214.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Implement input validation to escape or remove formula-initiating characters (=, +, -, @, \t, \r) from all user-provided data before writing to CSV, or use a dedicated CSV encoding library that handles special character escaping automatically.

Fix this in Patient Information Center Ix 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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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-2020-16214 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