CVE-2020-16240
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 · uneditedGE Digital APM Classic, Versions 4.4 and prior. An insecure direct object reference (IDOR) vulnerability allows user account data to be downloaded in JavaScript object notation (JSON) format by users who should not have access to such functionality. An attacker can download sensitive data related to user accounts without having the proper privileges.
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 confidenceAn IDOR vulnerability in GE Digital APM Classic versions 4.4 and prior allows authenticated users to directly reference object identifiers to download sensitive user account data in JSON format without proper authorization checks, enabling privilege escalation through unauthorized data access.
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<= 4.4CVSS 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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Identify GE Digital APM Classic installation and versionLocate the GE Digital APM Classic installation directory and check the version information file, typically found in the product's About or System Information section of the application, or check the installer/version file in the installation root directoryAffected if The installed version is GE Digital APM Classic 4.4 or any version prior to 4.4
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Verify existence of user data API endpointsReview application web configuration files and API routing definitions to identify endpoints that serve user account data in JSON format. Look for patterns such as /api/users, /userdata, or similar endpoints that return user informationAffected if Endpoints exist that return user account data in JSON format and accept object identifiers as parameters without explicit mention in the CVE data, indicating potential exposure
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Test direct object reference access to user dataUsing an authenticated user account with standard privileges, attempt to access user data by directly referencing numeric object identifiers in API requests (for example, manipulating user ID parameters in URLs). Observe if the response returns sensitive user account information that the current user should not have authorization to viewAffected if Requests with direct object identifiers return sensitive user account data in JSON format for users who should not have access to that information
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Check for missing authorization validation on data endpointsExamine application logs or use a web proxy to capture traffic when accessing user data endpoints. Verify whether the application performs proper authorization checks before returning user account data or if it relies solely on authenticationAffected if The application returns user account data based solely on valid authentication without verifying the requesting user has authorization to access that specific data object
The environment is affected if GE Digital APM Classic version 4.4 or prior is installed AND the application exposes user account data endpoints that allow direct object reference access without proper authorization validation.
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 dataImplement proper authorization validation for all data access endpoints and replace direct object references with indirect/mapped references to ensure users can only access data they are explicitly authorized to retrieve.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16240 — 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-2020-16240 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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