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CVE Record

CVE-2020-1198: Microsoft Office SharePoint XSS Vulnerability

<p>A cross-site-scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists when Microsoft SharePoint Server does not properly sanitize a specially crafted web request to an affected SharePoint server. An authenticated attacker could exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted request to an affected SharePoint server.</p> <p>The attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could then perform cross-site scripting attacks on affected systems and run script in the security context of the current user. The attacks could allow the attacker to read content that the attacker is not authorized to read, use the victim's identity to take actions on the SharePoint site on behalf of the user, such as change permissions and delete content, and inject malicious content in the browser of the user.</p> <p>The security update addresses the vulnerability by helping to ensure that SharePoint Server properly sanitizes web requests.</p>

HighCVSS 7.4Not KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2020-1198 is a SharePoint cross-site scripting flaw. A successful attacker could run script in a victim’s browser under that user’s SharePoint context, potentially reading restricted content or causing actions such as permission changes or content deletion. Microsoft states the security update fixes request sanitization.

Executive priority

Treat as high priority where SharePoint hosts sensitive documents or supports privileged workflows. The main business risk is misuse of trusted user sessions to access content or alter site state.

Technical view

The issue is improper sanitization of a specially crafted web request to affected SharePoint servers. The provided description says an authenticated attacker could trigger XSS, with user interaction reflected in the CVSS vector. Impact is mainly confidentiality and user-context action abuse within SharePoint.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to the listed Microsoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2013 SP1, 2016, 2019, and SharePoint Foundation 2013 SP1 deployments, especially reachable intranet or internet-facing portals.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or other cited evidence of active exploitation. Exploitation requires a crafted request and victim browser execution in the current user’s SharePoint security context.

Researcher notes

The public bundle gives clear affected products, impact, and update direction, but does not provide CWE mapping, exploit indicators, or detailed patch package data. Note the advisory text says authenticated attacker, while the CVSS vector lists PR:N.

Mitigation direction

  • Apply the Microsoft security update referenced by MSRC for affected SharePoint versions.
  • Check MSRC guidance for exact update packages and prerequisites.
  • Prioritize externally reachable or high-sensitivity SharePoint farms.
  • Review SharePoint permissions for unnecessary high-privilege user exposure.
  • Monitor vendor guidance for any superseding updates or mitigations.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory SharePoint versions against the affected product list.
  • Confirm the relevant Microsoft security update is installed on each farm.
  • Verify SharePoint patch level across all web front ends and application servers.
  • Review audit logs for unexpected permission changes or content deletion.
  • Assess whether affected SharePoint sites are externally reachable.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
3

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2020-1198 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.4 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
2Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.4CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C2.84Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.4High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-1198Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N/E:P/RL:O/RC:C

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
MicrosoftMicrosoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 201616.0.0Listed
MicrosoftMicrosoft SharePoint Enterprise Server 2013 Service Pack 115.0.0Listed
MicrosoftMicrosoft SharePoint Server 201916.0.0Listed
MicrosoftMicrosoft SharePoint Foundation 2013 Service Pack 115.0.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.