CVE-2020-11037Network attack vector

Shared-password disclosure via variable-time comparison

Published Apr 30, 2020 · Updated Nov 19, 2024

Observable timing discrepancy in Wagtail before 2.7.3, 2.8rc1 through 2.8.1, and 2.9rc1 allows attackers to infer shared passwords. The clean_password method in wagtail/core/forms.py compares submitted input directly with the stored restriction password, making response time vary with matching characters. Exploitation requires a shared-password restriction and highly accurate timing measurements from a local network; user- and group-based restrictions are unaffected.

CVSS severity4.3
Medium
EPSS probability0.25%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Observable timing discrepancy in Wagtail before 2.7.3, 2.8rc1 through 2.8.1, and 2.9rc1 allows attackers to infer shared passwords. The clean_password method in wagtail/core/forms.py compares submitted input directly with the stored restriction password, making response time vary with matching characters. Exploitation requires a shared-password restriction and highly accurate timing measurements from a local network; user- and group-based restrictions are unaffected.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-11037
Published
Apr 30, 2020
Updated
Nov 19, 2024
Vendor
Wagtail
Product
Wagtail
Classifications
CWE-208, CWE-362, T1110
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 30, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Nov 19, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=< 2.7.3
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 2.8rc1, < 2.8.2
  3. Affected versionversion== 2.9rc1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Wagtail · Wagtailversion=< 2.7.3; version=>= 2.8rc1, < 2.8.2; version== 2.9rc1

Published CVSS scores

1.9NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
4.3GitHub, Inc.CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:N/SC:H/SI:L/SA:N
6.1GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N
4.7NIST National Vulnerability DatabaseCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-208Observable Timing Discrepancy
CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
T1110Brute Force

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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