CVE-2020-26831
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 · uneditedSAP BusinessObjects BI Platform (Crystal Report), versions - 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, does not sufficiently validate uploaded XML entities during crystal report generation due to missing XML validation, An attacker with basic privileges can inject some arbitrary XML entities leading to internal file disclosure, internal directories disclosure, Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and denial-of-service (DoS).
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 confidenceSAP BusinessObjects BI Platform versions 4.1-4.3 fails to validate XML entities in uploaded content during Crystal Report generation, allowing authenticated users with basic privileges to inject malicious XML external entities (XXE) leading to internal file/disk disclosure, SSRF, and DoS.
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= 4.1= 4.2= 4.3CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/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 installed SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform versionAccess the Central Management Console (CMC) or BI launch pad and locate the system information or About section to view the exact version numberAffected if The version listed is 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 specifically
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Confirm Crystal Reports component is deployedLog into the BI platform and check if Crystal Reports is listed as an available reporting tool in the CMC or BI launch padAffected if Crystal Reports is present and accessible in the deployment
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Verify basic user access to report creationLog in with a standard user account that has basic privileges and attempt to access the Crystal Report creation or upload functionality in the BI launch padAffected if Basic users can access Crystal Report creation or file upload features
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Check if XML upload capability exists for reportsExamine whether the Crystal Reports interface allows importing or uploading XML files or data sources containing XML contentAffected if Users can upload XML content as part of Crystal Report generation
You are affected if your SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version is exactly 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 AND Crystal Reports with XML upload capability is accessible to authenticated basic users.
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 · scopedApply SAP security patches for CVE-2020-26831 and disable external entity processing in XML parsers used by the Crystal Reports component; restrict upload permissions pending patch deployment.
Apply the relevant SAP Security Note patch for BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.1, 4.2, or 4.3 (contact SAP Support for exact patch number)
- Contact SAP Support to obtain the specific security patch for CVE-2020-26831
- Request the SAP Security Note related to XML validation in Crystal Reports
- Apply the provided SAP patch following SAP's standard patch deployment procedures
- Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the BusinessObjects BI Platform version
- Test crystal report generation functionality to ensure the fix works and doesn't break existing functionality
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-26831 — 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-2020-26831 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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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