CVE-2020-22781Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated server crash via overlong cache filename

Published Apr 28, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Denial of service in Etherpad before 1.8.3 allows remote attackers to crash the server by requesting a specially crafted URI. The minification cache encodes the requested asset URI into a cache filename without constraining its resulting length, and the ensuing ENAMETOOLONG filesystem error escapes as an unhandled exception. Unauthenticated network access to the asset route is sufficient; exploitation shuts down the Etherpad instance without reported data disclosure or modification.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability1.11%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in Etherpad before 1.8.3 allows remote attackers to crash the server by requesting a specially crafted URI. The minification cache encodes the requested asset URI into a cache filename without constraining its resulting length, and the ensuing ENAMETOOLONG filesystem error escapes as an unhandled exception. Unauthenticated network access to the asset route is sufficient; exploitation shuts down the Etherpad instance without reported data disclosure or modification.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-22781
Published
Apr 28, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-89, T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 28, 2021CVE 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

5.0NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
7.5NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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 exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-89Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

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

Reported exploitation

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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