Traffic ServerApplication · Apache
CVE-2020-17508
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 · uneditedThe ATS ESI plugin has a memory disclosure vulnerability. If you are running the plugin please upgrade. Apache Traffic Server versions 7.0.0 to 7.1.11 and 8.0.0 to 8.1.0 are affected.
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 confidenceThe Apache Traffic Server ESI (Edge Side Includes) plugin contains a memory disclosure vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) that allows an attacker to read sensitive data from memory that should not be accessible. This type of vulnerability can expose configuration details, session tokens, authentication credentials, or other in-memory secrets.
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
Traffic ServerApplication
>= 6.0.0, <= 6.2.3>= 7.0.0, <= 7.1.11>= 8.0.0, <= 8.1.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 Apache Traffic Server installationRun the command to check if Apache Traffic Server is installed and retrieve its version number (for example, 'traffic_server -V' or check via package manager)Affected if Apache Traffic Server is installed and the version falls within the affected ranges: 6.0.0 to 6.2.3, 7.0.0 to 7.1.11, or 8.0.0 to 8.1.0
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Confirm ESI plugin is enabledInspect the Apache Traffic Server configuration to verify whether the ESI plugin is loaded or enabled (check plugin configuration files or run a command to list loaded plugins)Affected if The ESI plugin is actively loaded or enabled in the configuration
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Verify plugin version matches CVE scopeCross-reference the exact installed version of Apache Traffic Server against the known affected version ranges provided for this CVEAffected if The exact version number is within >= 6.0.0 and <= 6.2.3, OR >= 7.0.0 and <= 7.1.11, OR >= 8.0.0 and <= 8.1.0
If Apache Traffic Server is running with the ESI plugin enabled and the installed version falls within any of the affected ranges (6.0.0-6.2.3, 7.0.0-7.1.11, or 8.0.0-8.1.0), the environment is vulnerable to memory disclosure.
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 the Apache Traffic Server ESI plugin to a version beyond 7.1.11 (for the 7.x branch) or 8.1.0 (for the 8.x branch). Prior to upgrading, assess current system impact and test the upgrade in a non-production environment to ensure compatibility.
Fix this in Traffic Server
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $2,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17508 — 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-2020-17508 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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