CVE-2020-6590
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 · uneditedForcepoint Web Security Content Gateway versions prior to 8.5.4 improperly process XML input, leading to information disclosure.
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 confidenceForcepoint Web Security Content Gateway versions prior to 8.5.4 contain improper XML input processing, allowing remote attackers to potentially access sensitive information through malicious XML payloads - consistent with XML External Entity (XXE) injection.
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< 8.7.1< 8.5.4< 8.5.4CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 Forcepoint product and versionLocate the Forcepoint installation on the system and retrieve its version number. This is typically available through the product's admin console, a version check command, or installation logs. Common locations include /opt/forcepoint/ or program files directories, and the version may be displayed in the management interface or accessible via command-line flags such as 'forcepoint --version' or similar product-specific commands.Affected if The installed version is Forcepoint Data Loss Prevention below 8.7.1, Forcepoint Email Security below 8.5.4, or Forcepoint Web Security Content Gateway below 8.5.4.
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Determine if XML processing is enabledAccess the Forcepoint management console or configuration files and locate settings related to XML handling. Look for XML processing, XML validation, or document parsing features. Check configuration files in the product's config directory for parameters like 'EnableXML', 'XMLProcessing', or similar XML-related settings.Affected if XML processing or XML parsing features are enabled in the product configuration.
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Inspect XML input handling configurationReview the product's security or gateway settings for XML input validation options. Examine configuration files for settings that control how incoming XML data is processed, including DTD processing, external entity handling, or schema validation settings.Affected if The configuration allows unvalidated or unrestricted XML input processing, or does not explicitly disable external entity processing.
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Check gateway logs for XML-related activityReview Forcepoint gateway logs for any entries related to XML parsing, XXE attempts, or XML input handling. Look for patterns indicating XML payloads being processed, particularly those that might reference external entities.Affected if Logs show XML processing occurring without strict input validation or external entity restrictions.
A user is affected if they are running any of the listed Forcepoint products below the patched versions AND have XML processing enabled in their configuration.
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 data8.5.48.7.1
Upgrade to version 8.5.4 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, disable or restrict XML processing at the gateway and implement strict input validation for XML content.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2020-6590 — 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-2020-6590 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