CVE-2020-9309
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 · uneditedSilverstripe CMS through 4.5 can be susceptible to script execution from malicious upload contents under allowed file extensions (for example HTML code in a TXT file). When these files are stored as protected or draft files, the MIME detection can cause browsers to execute the file contents. Uploads stored as protected or draft files are allowed by default for authorised users only, but can also be enabled through custom logic as well as modules such as silverstripe/userforms. Sites using the previously optional silverstripe/mimevalidator module can configure MIME whitelists rather than extension whitelists, and hence prevent this issue. Sites on the Common Web Platform (CWP) use this module by default, and are not affected.
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 confidenceSilverstripe CMS through 4.5 allows authenticated users to upload files containing malicious content (e.g., HTML with script tags) under allowed extensions like .txt. When these files are stored as protected or draft files, browsers may execute the content due to MIME type detection, leading to cross-site scripting.
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< 2.0.0>= 4.0.0, < 4.6.0CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check your Silverstripe CMS versionLocate the Silverstripe version file or check composer.json for the silverstripe/framework or silverstripe/cms package versionAffected if The installed version is 4.0.0 or higher but lower than 4.6.0
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Check if Mimevalidator module is installedLook for the silverstripe/mimevalidator package in your composer.json or vendor directory, or check your project's enabled modulesAffected if The Mimevalidator module is not installed, or is present but version is below 2.0.0
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Verify file upload functionality is enabledCheck your Silverstripe configuration for Upload or File configuration settings in yml config filesAffected if File uploads are permitted (this is the default state in affected versions)
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Inspect uploaded text files for script contentSearch the assets or upload directories for .txt files and examine their content for HTML script tags or other executable contentAffected if Any .txt files exist in the system that contain HTML or script tags which could be executed
You are affected if you are running Silverstripe version 4.0.0 to 4.5.x without the Mimevalidator module (or with version below 2.0.0) and your users have the ability to upload files.
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 data2.0.04.6.0
Install and configure the silverstripe/mimevalidator module to enforce MIME whitelists rather than extension whitelists for uploads, or upgrade to the latest Silverstripe version.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9309 — 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-2020-9309 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