dbcve.org
D2dApplication · Arcserve

CVE-2020-27858

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-01-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
This vulnerability allows remote attackers to disclose sensitive information on affected installations of CA Arcserve D2D 16.5. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability. The specific flaw exists within the getNews method. Due to the improper restriction of XML External Entity (XXE) references, a specially-crafted document specifying a URI causes the XML parser to access the URI and embed the contents back into the XML document for further processing. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to disclose information in the context of SYSTEM. Was ZDI-CAN-11103.

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 confidence

This is an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in CA Arcserve D2D 16.5's getNews method. The application fails to properly restrict XML external entity references, allowing unauthenticated remote attackers to craft malicious XML documents that cause the parser to access arbitrary URIs and embed their contents back into the XML response. This enables disclosure of sensitive files from the system in the context of the XML parser's privileges.

MitigationDisable external entity processing in the XML parser configuration and implement strict input validation for all XML documents processed by the getNews method to prevent XXE attacks.

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
D2dApplication
Affected:= 16.5

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify ArcServe D2D 16.5 is installed
    Check the installed version of ArcServe D2D through the Windows Programs and Features control panel, the installation directory, or by running the D2D service information command if available
    Affected if ArcServe D2D version 16.5 is installed on the system
  2. Confirm getNews endpoint is accessible
    Identify if the ArcServe D2D web service or remote administration interface is exposed. This is typically accessible via HTTP/HTTPS on common ports used by ArcServe (such as 8014, 8080, or configured custom ports). Check network listeners or firewall rules for exposed ArcServe ports.
    Affected if The ArcServe D2D web interface or web service port is exposed and reachable over the network
  3. Determine if XML input is accepted by getNews
    Attempt to send a benign XML request to the getNews method endpoint (commonly at a path like /WebServiceEndpoint or similar depending on ArcServe configuration). This may require network access to the web service port.
    Affected if The getNews method accepts and processes XML input without requiring authentication or rejecting malformed XML
  4. Inspect XML parser configuration
    Review ArcServe D2D configuration files for XML parser settings that control external entity processing. Look for configuration files in the ArcServe installation directory (typically under conf or config folders).
    Affected if The XML parser is configured to allow external entity processing or has no explicit disabling of XXE vectors

The system is affected if ArcServe D2D version 16.5 is installed and its web service interface exposing the getNews method is accessible, as the vulnerability allows unauthenticated XXE injection through that method.

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

Disable external entity processing in the XML parser configuration and implement strict input validation for all XML documents processed by the getNews method to prevent XXE attacks.

Fix this in D2d Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get help mitigating

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 locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27858 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-27858 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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