CVE-2020-4729
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 Counter Fraud Management for Safer Payments 5.7.0.00 through 5.7.0.10, 6.0.0.00 through 6.0.0.07, 6.1.0.00 through 6.1.0.05, and 6.2.0.00 through 6.2.1.00 could allow an authenticated attacker under special circumstances to send multiple specially crafted API requests that could cause the application to crash. IBM X-Force ID: 188052.
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 Counter Fraud Management for Safer Payments contains a denial-of-service vulnerability where an authenticated attacker can send multiple specially crafted API requests under special circumstances, causing the application to crash. The vulnerability affects versions 5.7.0.00 through 5.7.0.10, 6.0.0.00 through 6.0.0.07, 6.1.0.00 through 6.1.0.05, and 6.2.0.00 through 6.2.1.00. The specific API endpoints and crash mechanism are not detailed in the advisory.
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>= 5.7.0.00, < 5.7.0.11>= 6.0.0.00, < 6.0.0.08>= 6.1.0.00, < 6.1.0.06>= 6.2.0.00, < 6.2.1.01CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
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 the installed Safer Payments versionAccess the product administration interface or check the version information file provided in the product documentation. Look for the exact version number displayed in the system information or about section.Affected if The installed version falls within these ranges: 5.7.0.00 to 5.7.0.10, 6.0.0.00 to 6.0.0.07, 6.1.0.00 to 6.1.0.05, or 6.2.0.00 to 6.2.1.00. Versions prior to 5.7.0.00 are not listed as affected.
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Verify if API access is enabledCheck the product configuration settings for API access permissions. Examine the security configuration file or web interface to determine whether API endpoints are exposed and functional.Affected if API endpoints are enabled and accessible to users, as the vulnerability is triggered through specially crafted API requests.
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Confirm authentication mechanism statusReview user authentication settings and session management configuration. Determine whether the system allows authenticated user access to API functionality.Affected if Authenticated users can access API endpoints, since the advisory specifies an authenticated attacker is required to exploit this vulnerability.
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Review API request loggingExamine API access logs and audit trails for patterns of unusual or excessive API requests that may indicate exploitation attempts or system instability.Affected if Logs show repeated API requests correlating with application crashes or service interruptions.
A system is affected if it runs Safer Payments versions 5.7.0.00-5.7.0.10, 6.0.0.00-6.0.0.07, 6.1.0.00-6.1.0.05, or 6.2.0.00-6.2.1.00 and has API endpoints 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.
dbcve · scoped5.7.0.116.0.0.086.1.0.06
Apply vendor-supplied patches or upgrades to fixed versions. Implement API request rate limiting and additional input validation on API endpoints as compensating controls until the official fix is deployed.
Upgrade to 5.7.0.11 (for 5.7.x line), 6.0.0.08 (for 6.0.x line), 6.1.0.06 (for 6.1.x line), or 6.2.1.01 (for 6.2.x line)
- 1. Identify the currently installed Safer Payments version using the product's built-in version check or administrative console.
- 2. Based on the installed version line, plan upgrade to the corresponding fixed version: 5.7.0.11, 6.0.0.08, 6.1.0.06, or 6.2.1.01.
- 3. Review IBM's official upgrade documentation for Safer Payments to understand prerequisites and upgrade procedures.
- 4. Perform a full backup of the Safer Payments database and configuration before upgrading.
- 5. Schedule a maintenance window as the upgrade may require downtime.
- 6. Download the appropriate IBM Safer Payments fix pack from IBM Fix Central or your entitled IBM software repository.
- 7. Follow IBM's recommended upgrade procedure to apply the new version, which includes stopping services, applying the upgrade, and validating the installation.
- 8. After upgrade, verify the application starts correctly and confirm the new version number in the administrative interface.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4729 — 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-2020-4729 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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