CVE-2020-35482
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 · uneditedSolarWinds Serv-U before 15.2.2 allows authenticated reflected XSS.
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 confidenceSolarWinds Serv-U file transfer server before version 15.2.2 contains a reflected cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. An authenticated user can inject malicious JavaScript code through a specific input field that gets reflected back in the server's HTTP response without proper sanitization.
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< 15.2.2CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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.
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Identify installed Serv-U versionCheck the Serv-U version by reviewing the installation directory, running 'servu -version' from the command line, or accessing the Serv-U Administration console and viewing the About/Version informationAffected if The installed version is lower than 15.2.2 (for example, 15.2.1, 15.2.0, 15.1.x, or earlier)
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Confirm web interface is enabledVerify that the Serv-U web-based administration interface or file transfer web portal is enabled and accessible. Check the Serv-U configuration for web listener statusAffected if The web interface is enabled and accessible over HTTP/HTTPS, which is required for the reflected XSS to be exploitable via HTTP requests
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Verify authentication is configuredReview Serv-U user account settings and confirm that user authentication is properly configured. Check whether local or domain users can log in to the web interfaceAffected if User authentication is enabled (note: this vulnerability requires an authenticated user session, so unauthenticated attackers cannot directly exploit it)
You are affected if your Serv-U installation version is below 15.2.2 AND the web administration interface or file transfer portal is enabled and accessible to authenticated 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.
From vendor data15.2.2
Upgrade SolarWinds Serv-U to version 15.2.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. As a compensating control, implement strict Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and validate all user inputs on the server side.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-35482 — 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-2020-35482 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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