CVE-2020-22987
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 · uneditedCross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in MicroStrategy Web SDK 10.11 and earlier, allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via the fileToUpload parameter to the uploadFile task.
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 confidenceCross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in MicroStrategy Web SDK 10.11 and earlier allows remote unauthenticated attackers to inject malicious scripts via the fileToUpload parameter in the uploadFile task, potentially executing arbitrary code in victim browsers.
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<= 10.11CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify MicroStrategy Web SDK versionLocate the MicroStrategy Web installation directory and check the version manifest or properties file, typically found in the Web SDK root or WEB-INF folder. Alternatively, access the MicroStrategy Web login page which often displays the version number in the footer or about section.Affected if The installed version is 10.11 or any version lower than 10.11 (10.10, 10.9, etc.)
-
Confirm uploadFile task is enabledAccess the MicroStrategy Servlet Manager or check the taskconfig.xml file in the WEB-INF directory. Look for the uploadFile task definition under the taskDefinitions section and verify its enabled attribute is set to true.Affected if The uploadFile task is present and enabled in the task configuration
-
Verify file upload functionality is accessibleAttempt to access the uploadFile task endpoint directly, typically found at a URL pattern like /servlet/taskAPI?taskId=uploadFile or /MicroStrategy/servlet/mstrWeb. Check if the endpoint responds without requiring authentication.Affected if The uploadFile task endpoint is accessible without authentication or with standard user authentication
-
Check parameter handling for fileToUploadInspect the HTTP request/response when using the uploadFile feature. Submit a test request with a benign script tag in the fileToUpload parameter and observe if it is reflected in the response without encoding or sanitization.Affected if The fileToUpload parameter value is reflected in the response without proper HTML encoding
You are affected if MicroStrategy Web SDK version is 10.11 or earlier AND the uploadFile task is enabled and accessible, allowing unsanitized input from the fileToUpload parameter to be reflected in responses.
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 strict input validation and output encoding on the fileToUpload parameter in the uploadFile task; consider adding Content-Security-Policy headers to mitigate XSS execution.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-22987 — 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-2020-22987 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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