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Metasys Application And Data ServerApplication · Johnsoncontrols

CVE-2020-9044

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-03-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 13.2 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
XXE vulnerability exists in the Metasys family of product Web Services which has the potential to facilitate DoS attacks or harvesting of ASCII server files. This affects Johnson Controls' Metasys Application and Data Server (ADS, ADS-Lite) versions 10.1 and prior; Metasys Extended Application and Data Server (ADX) versions 10.1 and prior; Metasys Open Data Server (ODS) versions 10.1 and prior; Metasys Open Application Server (OAS) version 10.1; Metasys Network Automation Engine (NAE55 only) versions 9.0.1, 9.0.2, 9.0.3, 9.0.5, 9.0.6; Metasys Network Integration Engine (NIE55/NIE59) versions 9.0.1, 9.0.2, 9.0.3, 9.0.5, 9.0.6; Metasys NAE85 and NIE85 versions 10.1 and prior; Metasys LonWorks Control Server (LCS) versions 10.1 and prior; Metasys System Configuration Tool (SCT) versions 13.2 and prior; Metasys Smoke Control Network Automation Engine (NAE55, UL 864 UUKL/ORD-C100-13 UUKLC 10th Edition Listed) version 8.1.

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

XXE vulnerability in Metasys Web Services allows attackers to inject malicious XML external entities into requests, potentially enabling denial of service attacks or unauthorized access to ASCII server files through the XML parser processing of crafted entities.

MitigationApply Johnson Controls vendor patches upgrading to version 10.2 (or 13.3 for SCT) as specified in the advisory; for systems where immediate patching is not feasible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement input validation.

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
Metasys Application And Data ServerApplication
Affected:<= 10.1
Metasys Extended Application And Data ServerApplication
Affected:<= 10.1
Metasys Lonworks Control ServerApplication
Affected:<= 10.1
Metasys Open Application ServerApplication
Affected:= 10.1
Metasys Open Data ServerApplication
Affected:<= 10.1
Metasys System Configuration ToolApplication
Affected:<= 13.2
Nae55 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 9.0.1= 9.0.2= 9.0.3= 9.0.5= 9.0.6= 8.1
Nie55 FirmwareOperating system
Affected:= 9.0.1= 9.0.2= 9.0.3= 9.0.5= 9.0.6

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
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 the Metasys product and version
    Access the Metasys System Configuration Tool (SCT), navigate to the system hierarchy, and locate the version information for the specific component (ADS, Extended ADS, Lonworks Control Server, Open Application Server, Open Data Server, or SCT). Alternatively, check the Metasys UI or the About section in the SCT.
    Affected if The product version matches <= 10.1 for ADS/Extended ADS/Lonworks Control Server/Open Data Server, = 10.1 for Open Application Server, or <= 13.2 for SCT.
  2. Identify NAE/NIE55 firmware version
    Access the Metasys UI or use the device firmware information page for the NAE55 or Nie55 network engine. Check the firmware version displayed in the device properties or system information.
    Affected if The firmware version equals 9.0.1, 9.0.2, 9.0.3, 9.0.5, 9.0.6, or 8.1.
  3. Confirm Metasys Web Services are enabled
    In the Metasys SCT, navigate to the Advanced settings for the Application and Data Server or Extended Application and Data Server. Verify that the Web Services interface is enabled and accessible over the network.
    Affected if Web Services are enabled and accessible, making the XML parser exposed to incoming requests.
  4. Inspect XML parser configuration for external entity processing
    Review the XML parser configuration files or settings within the Metasys Web Services component. Check if external entity (XXE) processing is explicitly disabled in the parser configuration.
    Affected if External entity processing is not explicitly disabled, or the XML parser configuration allows external entity resolution.

A user is affected if they are running any of the listed Metasys products or firmware versions with Metasys Web Services enabled and the XML parser configured to allow external entity processing.

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 a release after 13.2
Interim mitigation

Apply Johnson Controls vendor patches upgrading to version 10.2 (or 13.3 for SCT) as specified in the advisory; for systems where immediate patching is not feasible, disable external entity processing in XML parsers and implement input validation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Metasys 10.2 (for ADS/ADX/ODS/OAS/LCS), SCT 13.3, or firmware 9.0.6 (for NAE55/NIE55)

  1. Identify the specific Metasys product and current firmware/software version in your environment from the affected products list
  2. For Metasys ADS, ADX, ODS, OAS, LCS: Upgrade to version 10.2 or later
  3. For Metasys System Configuration Tool (SCT): Upgrade to version 13.3 or later
  4. For NAE55 and NIE55/NIE59 firmware: Upgrade to version 9.0.6 or later
  5. After upgrading, verify the XXE vulnerability is resolved by reviewing release notes and confirming vendor patch application
  6. Test that web services functionality works correctly after the upgrade
Caveat Review vendor release notes for any breaking changes or migration requirements specific to your Metasys version before upgrading

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

Fix this in Metasys Application And Data Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing10.0 h
  • Review / QA5.0 h
33.0 hours of engineering $5,760
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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-2020-9044 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