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Businessobjects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication · Sap

CVE-2020-6278

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
SAP Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform (BI Launchpad and CMC), versions 4.1, 4.2, allows to an attacker to embed malicious scripts in the application while uploading images, which gets executed when the victim opens these files, leading to Stored Cross Site Scripting

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 confidence

SAP Business Objects BI Platform versions 4.1 and 4.2 contain a stored XSS vulnerability where attackers can embed malicious JavaScript scripts into image files during upload. When authenticated users view or open these compromised images through BI Launchpad or CMC, the embedded scripts execute in their browsers, potentially enabling session hijacking, credential theft, or unauthorized actions performed in the victim's context.

MitigationApply available SAP security patches for CVE-2020-6278. Additionally, implement strict file upload validation to sanitize image files and remove potentially executable content, and configure Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent script execution from untrusted sources.

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
Businessobjects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication
Affected:= 4.1= 4.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version
    Access the CMC (Central Management Console) and navigate to the 'About' section, or use the SAP BusinessObjects Installation Manager to view installed version information. Alternatively, check the installation directory for version manifests.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.1 or exactly 4.2 (these are the only affected versions listed)
  2. Confirm web interfaces are accessible
    Verify that BI Launchpad and/or CMC web applications are deployed and accessible in your environment. Check the application server (typically Tomcat or similar) for deployed SAP BusinessObjects web archives.
    Affected if BI Launchpad or CMC web interfaces are reachable and used by authenticated users, as these are the channels through which malicious images are viewed and the XSS executes
  3. Verify file upload capability exists
    Check if the image upload feature is enabled in the BI Platform. In CMC, navigate to the 'Applications' settings and verify that file repository services and image handling are active. Look for upload functionality in BI Launchpad's document or image upload features.
    Affected if Users have the ability to upload files including images to the BI Platform, which is required for the stored XSS payload to be injected
  4. Audit existing uploaded image files
    Review the File Repository Server or CMS database for recently uploaded image files. Use CMC's 'File Repository' section to examine image files stored in the system, particularly those uploaded around the time of potential compromise.
    Affected if Any image files exist in the system that may have been uploaded by users, as these could contain embedded malicious scripts if the system was exploited

You are affected if your SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform is exactly version 4.1 or 4.2 AND you have web interfaces (BI Launchpad or CMC) accessible to users who can upload image files.

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 available SAP security patches for CVE-2020-6278. Additionally, implement strict file upload validation to sanitize image files and remove potentially executable content, and configure Content Security Policy (CSP) headers to prevent script execution from untrusted sources.

Fix this in Businessobjects Business Intelligence Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2020-6278 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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