CVE-2020-9523
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 · uneditedInsufficiently protected credentials vulnerability on Micro Focus enterprise developer and enterprise server, affecting all version prior to 4.0 Patch Update 16, and version 5.0 Patch Update 6. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to transmit hashed credentials for the user account running the Micro Focus Directory Server (MFDS) to an arbitrary site, compromising that account's security.
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 confidenceThe Micro Focus Directory Server (MFDS) transmits hashed credentials for the account it runs under to arbitrary external sites due to insufficient protection mechanisms. An attacker who intercepts or controls these transmissions can capture the hashed credentials and potentially use them to compromise the affected account's security.
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<= 3.0= 4.0= 5.0<= 3.0= 4.0= 5.0CVSS 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
- 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if MFDS is runningCheck for the Micro Focus Directory Server process or service running on the system. Look for process names like 'mfds' or 'Micro Focus Directory Server' in task manager or running services.Affected if MFDS process is running on the system
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Determine Enterprise Server or Developer versionUse the product's version information utility or check the installed software listing. For command-line, try: cat /opt/microfocus/EnterpriseServer/version or check Windows registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Micro Focus\Enterprise ServerAffected if Version is 3.0 or lower, or exactly 4.0 or 5.0 (before respective patch updates)
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Check MFDS configuration for outbound connectivityExamine the MFDS configuration file (typically mfds.config or via the MFDS admin console) for settings controlling outbound network connections or remote credential verification.Affected if Outbound network access is enabled in MFDS configuration and the server has external network access
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Inspect network traffic or logs for MFDS outbound connectionsUse network monitoring tools (netstat, Wireshark, or firewall logs) to observe outbound connections originating from the MFDS process to external IP addresses, particularly on ports used for credential verification.Affected if MFDS is making outbound network connections to unknown or unauthorized external sites
The environment is affected if MFDS is running on a vulnerable version (3.0 or lower, 4.0, or 5.0) of Micro Focus Enterprise Server or Enterprise Developer with outbound network access enabled.
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 dataApply the vendor patches: upgrade to Micro Focus Enterprise Developer/Enterprise Server 4.0 Patch Update 16 or later, or 5.0 Patch Update 6 or later. Additionally, restrict outbound network connectivity from the MFDS server to minimize exposure to credential exfiltration.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9523 — 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-2020-9523 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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- 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
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