CVE-2020-4704
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 Content Navigator 3.0CD is vulnerable to stored 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: 187189.
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 Content Navigator 3.0CD contains a stored cross-site scripting vulnerability in its web interface. An authenticated attacker can embed malicious JavaScript code into the Navigator Web UI, which executes when other users view the affected content, potentially allowing credential theft through a trusted session.
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= 3.0.0CVSS 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
- 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 IBM Content Navigator versionCheck the version via the Navigator administration console, or look for version info in the installation directory (typically under /opt/IBM/navigator or C:\IBM\navigator). On the admin console, navigate to About or System Information to confirm the exact version number.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.0.0 (no patch level indicated)
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Confirm Navigator Web UI is accessibleAttempt to access the IBM Content Navigator web interface via its URL (typically https://hostname/navigator). Verify the login page loads and users can authenticate.Affected if The web interface is accessible and users can log in, making the XSS vector viable
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Review user-generated content in the repositorySearch the content repository for any documents, comments, metadata fields, or user submissions that may contain script tags or JavaScript code. Use ICN admin tools or check the underlying ECM database for suspicious content patterns like <script>, javascript:, or onload/onerror attributes.Affected if Any content contains embedded JavaScript or script tags that could execute when viewed by other users
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Inspect browser console for XSS errorsLog into the Navigator Web UI as a standard user and navigate through documents. Open browser developer tools (F12) and monitor the console for any unexpected script errors or executed XSS payloads.Affected if JavaScript executes unexpectedly or console shows XSS-related errors when viewing user content
You are affected if IBM Content Navigator version 3.0.0 is installed and the web interface is in use, allowing authenticated users to inject malicious scripts into content viewed by others.
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 dataApply the IBM security patch for CVE-2020-4704. Until patched, review user-generated content submissions and implement Content Security Policy headers to mitigate XSS execution.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,544.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4704 — 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-2020-4704 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