# CVE-2020-4082: Cross-site scripting in "HCL Connections"

> Remote attackers can execute scripts in victims' browsers via crafted URLs to steal authentication credentials in HCL Connections.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.4 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 5 Mar 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-5wg4-rfc2-hgh3

## What is CVE-2020-4082?

CVE-2020-4082 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in "HCL Connections", published on 5 Mar 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The HCL Connections 5.5 help system is vulnerable to cross-site scripting, caused by improper validation of user-supplied input. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability using a specially-crafted URL to execute script in a victim's Web browser within the security context of the hosting Web site, once the URL is clicked. An attacker could use this vulnerability to steal the victim's cookie-based authentication credentials.

Weakness: CWE-79 (Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-4082?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Hcltech Connections.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-4082?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-4082 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-4082 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-4082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in "HCL Connections"

- [CVE-2020-4085](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4085/): Information disclosure in "HCL Connections" (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2019-4209](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-4209/): Open redirect in HCL Connections (medium 6.1)
- [CVE-2023-28018](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-28018/): HCL Connections s vulnerable to possible denial of service for certain users (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2020-4083](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4083/): Information disclosure in "HCL Connections" (medium 5.5)
- [CVE-2026-21788](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-21788/): HCL Connections is vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-4082 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-4082 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting vulnerability in "HCL Connections", published on 5 Mar 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-4082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: "HCL Connections". No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4082/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4082/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-4082
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-4082
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-4082

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-4082/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.