CVE-2019-20798Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Command execution via unencoded About-page URL

Published May 17, 2020 · Updated Aug 5, 2024

Cross-site scripting in Cherokee through 1.2.104 allows remote attackers to execute commands when an administrator opens a crafted About URL. handler_server_info copies the invoked URL into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript contexts without encoding special characters. The default administrator panel exposes the handler; a logged-in administrator who opens the URL grants the injected script access to reconfigure the server and run arbitrary commands.

CVSS severity8.4
High
EPSS probability1.65%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Cross-site scripting in Cherokee through 1.2.104 allows remote attackers to execute commands when an administrator opens a crafted About URL. handler_server_info copies the invoked URL into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript contexts without encoding special characters. The default administrator panel exposes the handler; a logged-in administrator who opens the URL grants the injected script access to reconfigure the server and run arbitrary commands.

The record

CVE
CVE-2019-20798
Published
May 17, 2020
Updated
Aug 5, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-79, T1203
Attack vector
network
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 17, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

8.4NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.0NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-79Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
T1203Exploitation for Client Execution

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo