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OpenlitespeedApplication · Litespeedtech

CVE-2020-5519

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.6.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The WebAdmin Console in OpenLiteSpeed before v1.6.5 does not strictly check request URLs, as demonstrated by the "Server Configuration > External App" screen.

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 confidence

The WebAdmin Console in OpenLiteSpeed versions prior to 1.6.5 fails to properly validate/sanitize request URLs, allowing path traversal or request smuggling through the External App configuration interface. This improper input validation enables attackers to bypass access controls and potentially execute arbitrary commands or access sensitive files.

MitigationUpgrade OpenLiteSpeed to version 1.6.5 or later which contains proper URL validation. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the WebAdmin Console to trusted IP addresses only via firewall rules.

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
OpenlitespeedApplication
Affected:< 1.6.5

CVSS 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed OpenLiteSpeed version
    Run 'rpm -q openlitespeed' or check the WebAdmin Console login page footer for the version number, or use '/opt/lsws/bin/lshttpd -v'
    Affected if The version displayed is lower than 1.6.5 (for example, 1.6.4, 1.6.3, etc.)
  2. Confirm WebAdmin Console is accessible
    Attempt to access the WebAdmin Console URL (typically port 7080 via HTTP or port 7081 via HTTPS) from your browser or curl the endpoint
    Affected if The WebAdmin Console responds and is reachable over the network
  3. Verify External App configuration interface exists
    Log into the WebAdmin Console and navigate to 'External Apps' section, or check configuration files in /opt/lsws/conf/ for ExternalApp definitions
    Affected if External Apps are configured or the configuration interface is present in the WebAdmin Console
  4. Inspect WebAdmin Console configuration for URL validation
    Review the webadmin configuration files (webadmin.xml or similar in /opt/lsws/conf/) for any URL validation or sanitization rules related to the External App endpoint
    Affected if No URL validation or sanitization rules are found for External App request handling

You are affected if OpenLiteSpeed version is below 1.6.5 AND the WebAdmin Console with its External App interface is accessible.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.6.5 or later
Fixed in 1.6.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade OpenLiteSpeed to version 1.6.5 or later which contains proper URL validation. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the WebAdmin Console to trusted IP addresses only via firewall rules.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.6.5

  1. 1. Back up the current OpenLiteSpeed configuration directory (typically /usr/local/lsws/conf)
  2. 2. Stop the OpenLiteSpeed service: systemctl stop lsws or /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctl stop
  3. 3. Download OpenLiteSpeed version 1.6.5 or later from the official repository (https://openlitespeed.org/packages/)
  4. 4. Install the new version using the appropriate package manager or compile from source
  5. 5. Start the OpenLiteSpeed service: systemctl start lsws or /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctl start
  6. 6. Verify the WebAdmin Console is accessible and the version shows 1.6.5 or higher
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and 1.6.5

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openlitespeed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-5519 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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