CVE-2020-4658
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 Sterling File Gateway 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.3.2 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 186095.
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 confidenceIBM Sterling File Gateway versions 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.3.2 contains a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the Web UI. Attackers can embed arbitrary JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' sessions, potentially allowing credential theft or session hijacking within trusted sessions.
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>= 2.2.0.0, <= 6.0.3.2CVSS 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
- 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.
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Identify IBM Sterling File Gateway versionLocate the installed version of IBM Sterling File Gateway in the system by checking the product's about page, installation directory, or version management interface. Common locations include the administration console or a version info file in the installation root.Affected if The installed version is 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.3.2 inclusive.
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Confirm Web UI is enabledDetermine whether the Web UI component of IBM Sterling File Gateway is accessible and actively running. Check if the web interface port is listening and reachable.Affected if The Web UI is enabled and accessible to users or attackers.
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Review user input fields in Web UIInspect the Web UI for forms, input fields, or parameters that accept user-supplied data and are rendered back to users. Common areas include file naming, user profile fields, trading partner configuration, or messaging interfaces.Affected if User-supplied data can be stored and rendered to other users without proper encoding.
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Check application logs for XSS indicatorsReview IBM Sterling File Gateway logs for any unusual script tags, JavaScript keywords, or HTML elements that appear in unexpected fields, which may indicate exploitation attempts.Affected if Logs contain suspicious script tags or encoded payloads in user-facing fields.
The environment is affected if IBM Sterling File Gateway version 2.2.0.0 through 6.0.3.2 is installed AND the Web UI component is enabled and accessible.
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 robust input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data rendered in the Web UI. Apply Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and consider deploying a web application firewall (WAF) as an additional layer of defense.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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-2020-4658 — 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-2020-4658 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data