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Abap PlatformApplication · Sap

CVE-2020-6181

MEDIUM · 5.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-12
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Under some circumstances the SAML SSO implementation in the SAP NetWeaver (SAP_BASIS versions 702, 730, 731, 740 and SAP ABAP Platform (SAP_BASIS versions 750, 751, 752, 753, 754), allows an attacker to include invalidated data in the HTTP response header sent to a Web user, leading to HTTP Response Splitting vulnerability.

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

HTTP Response Splitting vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver and SAP ABAP Platform's SAML SSO implementation allows attackers to inject invalidated data into HTTP response headers by including malicious content in SAML requests that gets reflected in server responses, potentially enabling cross-site scripting or cache poisoning attacks.

MitigationApply the relevant SAP security patch for CVE-2020-6181 to the affected SAP_BASIS versions (702, 730, 731, 740 for NetWeaver and 750-754 for ABAP Platform). Review SAML SSO configuration and monitor for anomalous header content in web traffic.

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
Abap PlatformApplication
Affected:= 7.50= 7.51= 7.52= 7.53= 7.54
NetweaverApplication
Affected:= 7.02= 7.30= 7.31= 7.40

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
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

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

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

  1. Identify installed SAP NetWeaver or ABAP Platform version
    Execute transaction code 'SM51' to view the SAP system release and kernel version, or use the SAPMMC snap-in to check the system version details
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.02, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40 (NetWeaver) or 7.50, 7.51, 7.52, 7.53, 7.54 (ABAP Platform)
  2. Verify SAML SSO is configured
    Access transaction code 'SAML2' or check transaction 'SAML_CONFIG' to determine if SAML Single Sign-On is enabled in the system
    Affected if SAML SSO is enabled and configured in the affected version ranges
  3. Inspect SAML provider settings for reflected content
    In SAML2 transaction, navigate to the Identity Provider metadata and check the 'Name ID' and assertion consumer service URLs for any user-supplied or dynamic content that could be reflected in HTTP responses
    Affected if SAML configuration allows user-influenced data to be reflected in response headers without proper encoding
  4. Review HTTP response headers for injection points
    Capture a SAML authentication request using network tracing (transaction 'SM37' or external proxy) and inspect the server responses for unencoded or improperly sanitized header values originating from SAML parameters
    Affected if HTTP response headers contain unsanitized values from SAML request parameters
  5. Check for anomalous header manipulation
    Use transaction 'SE80' to review custom ICF handlers or custom SAML assertions that modify HTTP response headers, and verify whether input validation is performed on SAML assertion attributes before header insertion
    Affected if Custom ICF handlers or SAML assertion code modifies headers without input validation

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable SAP NetWeaver (7.02, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40) or ABAP Platform (7.50-7.54) version AND has SAML SSO enabled, with unvalidated content potentially being reflected in HTTP response headers.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant SAP security patch for CVE-2020-6181 to the affected SAP_BASIS versions (702, 730, 731, 740 for NetWeaver and 750-754 for ABAP Platform). Review SAML SSO configuration and monitor for anomalous header content in web traffic.

Fix this in Abap Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,260
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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-2020-6181 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
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