CVE-2020-5283Public exploitNetwork attack vector

Browser script execution via unescaped CVS filename

Published Apr 3, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Cross-site scripting in ViewVC before 1.1.28 and in 1.2.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute script via a crafted CVS filename. In view_directory, the CVS show_subdir_lastmod path assigns file.newest_file to row.log_file without HTML escaping before template rendering. Exploitation requires CVS commit privileges, the show_subdir_lastmod option, a crafted backing filename, and a user who views its parent directory; script runs in that user's browser.

CVSS severity3.1
Low
EPSS probability1.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Cross-site scripting in ViewVC before 1.1.28 and in 1.2.0 allows remote authenticated users to execute script via a crafted CVS filename. In view_directory, the CVS show_subdir_lastmod path assigns file.newest_file to row.log_file without HTML escaping before template rendering. Exploitation requires CVS commit privileges, the show_subdir_lastmod option, a crafted backing filename, and a user who views its parent directory; script runs in that user's browser.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-5283
Published
Apr 3, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
ViewVC
Product
ViewVC
Classifications
CWE-79, CWE-80, T1203
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 3, 2020CVE 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?

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

  1. Affected versionversion=< 1.1.28
  2. Affected versionversion=>= 1.2.0, < 1.2.1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

ViewVC · ViewVCversion=< 1.1.28; version=>= 1.2.0, < 1.2.1

Published CVSS scores

3.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
2.1NIST NVDAV:N/AC:H/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N
3.1GitHub, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-79Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
CWE-80Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page (Basic XSS)
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

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Your stack

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