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Sterling B2b IntegratorApplication · Ibm

CVE-2021-20553

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.1.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Standard Edition 5.2.0.0 through 6.1.1.0 is vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session.

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

Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Standard Edition versions 5.2.0.0 through 6.1.1.0 allows attackers to inject arbitrary JavaScript code through the Web UI, potentially altering application functionality and enabling credential disclosure via session hijacking within trusted sessions.

MitigationApply vendor-provided security patches for this vulnerability. Additionally, implement input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in the Web UI to mitigate XSS attacks.

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
Sterling B2b IntegratorApplication
Affected:>= 5.2.0.0, <= 6.1.1.0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the installed IBM Sterling B2B Integrator version
    Locate the version file or use the product's built-in version information utility. Common locations include the installation directory or the product's admin console under 'System Information' or 'About' sections.
    Affected if The installed version falls within the range 5.2.0.0 through 6.1.1.0 (inclusive).
  2. Verify the Web UI component is accessible
    Confirm that the IBM Sterling B2B Integrator Web UI (typically accessed via HTTP/HTTPS on configured ports) is enabled and reachable. Check the web server configuration or attempt to access the login page.
    Affected if The Web UI is exposed and accessible to users or attackers.
  3. Check for applied security patches
    Review the product's patch history or installed patches list within the IBM Sterling B2B Integrator admin console or documentation to see if CVE-2021-20553 specific patches have been applied.
    Affected if No CVE-2021-20553 specific patches have been installed on the affected version.
  4. Inspect Web UI input handling
    Examine the Web UI configuration files and deployed application files for the presence of the vulnerable input handling component. This may require access to the application server logs or configuration.
    Affected if The Web UI application files remain at the original vulnerable version state without vendor fixes applied.

A user is affected if IBM Sterling B2B Integrator version 5.2.0.0 through 6.1.1.0 is installed, the Web UI is accessible, and no vendor security patches for CVE-2021-20553 have been applied.

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 6.1.1.0
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor-provided security patches for this vulnerability. Additionally, implement input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy (CSP) headers in the Web UI to mitigate XSS attacks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

IBM Sterling B2B Integrator version higher than 6.1.1.0 (consult IBM security bulletin for exact fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of IBM Sterling B2B Integrator by checking the system's version information.
  2. 2. Obtain the latest security fix from IBM's official security bulletin for CVE-2021-20553. Access the IBM Support Portal at www.ibm.com and search for this CVE.
  3. 3. Apply the appropriate interim fix (iFix) or upgrade to a version higher than 6.1.1.0 as specified in IBM's security documentation.
  4. 4. After applying the fix, verify the XSS vulnerability is resolved by testing that the Web UI properly sanitizes user inputs.
  5. 5. Monitor IBM's security notifications for any additional related patches.
Caveat Review IBM's release notes for the target version to check for compatibility with existing integrations and any configuration changes required

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

Fix this in Sterling B2b Integrator Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
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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-2021-20553 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