CVE-2020-21365Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Local file disclosure via permissive file-origin policy

Published Aug 15, 2022 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Path traversal in wkhtmltopdf 0.12.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to read local files through crafted HTML input. LoadPage initializes blockLocalFileAccess to false, so script in a file-origin document can issue an XMLHttpRequest for an arbitrary local file. Exploitation requires a deployment that converts attacker-supplied HTML with default settings; retrieved file contents are exposed in the generated PDF.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability2.05%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Path traversal in wkhtmltopdf 0.12.5 and earlier allows remote attackers to read local files through crafted HTML input. LoadPage initializes blockLocalFileAccess to false, so script in a file-origin document can issue an XMLHttpRequest for an arbitrary local file. Exploitation requires a deployment that converts attacker-supplied HTML with default settings; retrieved file contents are exposed in the generated PDF.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-21365
Published
Aug 15, 2022
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-22, T1005
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Aug 15, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 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?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

7.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-22Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
T1005Data from Local System

Public exploit references

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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