dbcve.org
Business Objects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication · Sap

CVE-2023-0015

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
In SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform (Web Intelligence user interface) - version 420, some calls return json with wrong content type in the header of the response. As a result, a custom application that calls directly the jsp of Web Intelligence DHTML may be vulnerable to XSS attacks. On successful exploitation an attacker can cause limited impact on confidentiality and integrity of the application.

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

In SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version 420, the Web Intelligence UI returns JSON responses with an incorrect Content-Type header (likely text/html instead of application/json). This MIME sniffing vulnerability allows browsers to potentially interpret JSON as HTML, enabling XSS attacks when custom applications directly invoke the Web Intelligence DHTML JSP endpoints.

MitigationConfigure the affected JSP endpoints in Web Intelligence to return JSON responses with the correct Content-Type: application/json header. Review all JSON-producing endpoints to ensure proper MIME type declaration.

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
Business Objects Business Intelligence PlatformApplication
Affected:= 420

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. Confirm SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version 420 is installed
    Check the installed SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version. On Windows, this is typically found in the SAP BusinessObjects folder in Programs or via the Central Configuration Manager (CCM). On Unix/Linux, check the installation directory and version files under theboe_bi installation path. Use the SAP BusinessObjects Central Management Console (CMC) or the installation logs to verify the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 420 (matches the affected version range)
  2. Verify Web Intelligence component is enabled
    Access the SAP BusinessObjects Central Management Console (CMC) and navigate to the Services area. Check whether the Web Intelligence service (WebIntelligenceProcessingServer) is running and enabled. Alternatively, check the server configuration files in the BOE installation directory under webiwar/WEB-INF/config/
    Affected if Web Intelligence processing server is enabled and running on the system
  3. Identify Web Intelligence DHTML JSP endpoints in use
    Examine the Web Intelligence deployment directory (typically under the SAP BusinessObjects installation path in webapps/BOE/WEB-INF/eclipse/plugins/webi_war or similar). Locate the DHTML JSP endpoints that handle JSON requests. Common endpoint patterns include JSP files in the webi directory that handle report viewing and data retrieval.
    Affected if The system has deployed Web Intelligence JSP endpoints that handle JSON responses
  4. Inspect Content-Type headers returned by Web Intelligence JSP endpoints
    Send a test request to the Web Intelligence DHTML JSP endpoints using a tool like curl or a browser developer tool. Capture the HTTP response headers, specifically looking for the Content-Type header. Compare the header value against expected application/json for JSON-producing endpoints.
    Affected if The Content-Type header returns text/html or another non-JSON MIME type when the endpoint responds with JSON data
  5. Check for custom applications integrating with Web Intelligence endpoints
    Review any custom or third-party applications that integrate with SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform, particularly those making direct HTTP calls to Web Intelligence JSP endpoints. Examine application logs, configuration files, and integration code for calls to DHTML JSP URLs.
    Affected if Custom applications directly invoke the Web Intelligence DHTML JSP endpoints for JSON data retrieval

The environment is affected if SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform version 420 is running with Web Intelligence enabled and the DHTML JSP endpoints return text/html Content-Type headers for JSON responses that are consumed by custom applications.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Configure the affected JSP endpoints in Web Intelligence to return JSON responses with the correct Content-Type: application/json header. Review all JSON-producing endpoints to ensure proper MIME type declaration.

Fix this in Business Objects Business Intelligence Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2023-0015 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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