CVE-2020-4481
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 · uneditedIBM UrbanCode Deploy (UCD) 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, and 7.0.4.0 is vulnerable to an XML External Entity Injection (XXE) attack when processing XML data. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to expose sensitive information or consume memory resources. IBM X-Force ID: 181848.
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 confidenceIBM UrbanCode Deploy is vulnerable to XML External Entity Injection (XXE) when processing XML data. Attackers can craft malicious XML payloads that reference external entities to exfiltrate sensitive files from the server filesystem or cause denial of service by exhausting memory resources. This affects versions 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, and 7.0.4.0.
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= 6.2.7.3= 6.2.7.4= 7.0.3.0= 7.0.4.0CVSS 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
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
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.
-
Locate the IBM UrbanCode Deploy installation directoryCheck common installation paths such as /opt/ibm/ucd, C:\ibm\ucd, or the path configured during installation. Look for the installation root folder containing the ucd.jar or server files.Affected if The product is installed in a non-standard location and cannot be located for version checking.
-
Identify the installed version of IBM UrbanCode DeployIn the installation directory, locate the version.txt file or check the ucd-version file. Alternatively, access the product UI and navigate to Settings > About, or run: ucd-cli version if the CLI is installed.Affected if The version matches exactly 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, or 7.0.4.0.
-
Verify the exact version number against the affected releasesCompare the installed version number to the list of affected versions: 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, and 7.0.4.0. Ensure an exact match, as only these specific point releases are vulnerable.Affected if The installed version exactly matches one of these four versions: 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, or 7.0.4.0.
-
Determine if XML import functionality is in useReview processes, plugins, or integrations that accept XML input files. Check for component imports, application templates, or deployment plans that process XML from external or untrusted sources.Affected if XML import or processing features are actively used with potentially untrusted XML content.
You are affected if IBM UrbanCode Deploy is installed and the exact version matches one of these four releases: 6.2.7.3, 6.2.7.4, 7.0.3.0, or 7.0.4.0.
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 to a patched version of IBM UrbanCode Deploy that addresses this vulnerability, or disable XML external entity processing in the XML parser configuration.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4481 — 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-2020-4481 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