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PloneApplication

CVE-2020-7939

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.2.1 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
SQL Injection in DTML or in connection objects in Plone 4.0 through 5.2.1 allows users to perform unwanted SQL queries. (This is a problem in Zope.)

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

SQL injection vulnerability in DTML (Dynamic Template Markup Language) or database connection objects in Plone versions 4.0 through 5.2.1, stemming from the underlying Zope framework. Authenticated users can craft malicious input through DTML templates or connection object parameters to inject arbitrary SQL queries, potentially exfiltrating or modifying database contents.

MitigationUpgrade Plone to version 5.2.2 or later which includes the patched Zope version. As a defense-in-depth measure, audit and refactor any custom DTML templates or connection object usage to employ parameterized queries or ORM methods instead of string concatenation for SQL construction.

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
PloneApplication
Affected:>= 4.0.0, <= 5.2.1

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 Plone version
    Check the Plone version by inspecting the buildout configuration (buildout.cfg), the Eggs section in versions.cfg, or by running 'pip show Plone' or accessing the Zope Management Interface (ZMI) at /manage with admin credentials to view the plone.i18n or Products.CMFPlone version
    Affected if The installed version is 4.0.0 through 5.2.1 (versions 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and 5.2.1 are all affected)
  2. Check for custom DTML templates
    Search the Plone file system and ZODB for files with .dtml extension, particularly in custom policy products, themes, or site-specific code directories. In the ZMI, navigate to the root of your Plone site and look for DTML objects or DTML-based views
    Affected if Custom DTML templates exist and are used for database query construction within the Plone instance
  3. Identify Z SQL Methods or database connection objects
    In the ZMI, navigate to your Plone site root and look for 'Z SQL Method' objects or similar database connection configurations under the database adapter or custom code directories. Also search the file system for any custom code that imports or uses 'Shared.DC.ZRDB' or database connection classes
    Affected if Z SQL Methods or custom database connection objects are configured and accessible to users
  4. Verify authenticated user access to DTML or database features
    Review the sharing settings and local roles in the ZMI for any user accounts or groups that have access to manage or modify DTML templates or database connection objects. Check if anonymous or low-privileged users can access custom DTML-based views or Z SQL Methods
    Affected if Authenticated users (including potentially low-privileged accounts) can interact with DTML templates or database connection objects that perform SQL queries

A system is affected if it runs Plone version 4.0.0 through 5.2.1 AND has custom DTML templates or database connection objects in use that could accept user-supplied input for SQL construction.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.2.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Plone to version 5.2.2 or later which includes the patched Zope version. As a defense-in-depth measure, audit and refactor any custom DTML templates or connection object usage to employ parameterized queries or ORM methods instead of string concatenation for SQL construction.

Fix this in Plone Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,776.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2020-7939 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data