CVE-2020-13869: Verbb/comments Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jhhf-c849-3rh2
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CVSS 5.4
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13869 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.4) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Verbb/comments libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves comments plugin stored cross-site scripting via a guest name. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.5.

CVE-2020-13869 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13869
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jhhf-c849-3rh2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.4
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Verbb/comments
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.4

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13869

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Verbb/comments dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

verbb/comments fixed: 1.5.5 
Upgrade verbb/comments to 1.5.5
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for verbb/comments

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-13869, inspect your project dependencies for Verbb/comments:

inspect dependencies for verbb/comments

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Verbb/comments in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.5), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Verbb/comments, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An issue was discovered in the Comments plugin before 1.5.5 for Craft CMS. There is stored XSS via a guest name.

CVE-2020-13869 Affected Verbb/comments Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
verbb/comments
 Packagist
< 1.5.5
1.5.5

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13869 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13869
Verbb/comments Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/verbb/comments
Verbb/comments Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/verbb/comments/blob/craft-3/CHANGELOG.md#155---2020-05-28-critical

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13869?
CVE-2020-13869 is a security vulnerability in Verbb/comments involving Comments plugin stored Cross-site Scripting via a guest name under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Verbb/comments versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.5 across affected packages: verbb/comments.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13869?
Upgrading to 1.5.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is verbb/comments affected?
Yes, verbb/comments is affected in releases prior to 1.5.5. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13869?
CVE-2020-13869 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13869?
CVE-2020-13869 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2020-13869?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for verbb/comments'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-jhhf-c849-3rh2",
  "modified" : "2024-04-24T18:00:50Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:19:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13869" ],
  "summary" : "Comments plugin stored Cross-site Scripting via a guest name",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in the Comments plugin before 1.5.5 for Craft CMS. There is stored XSS via a guest name.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "verbb/comments"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13869"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/verbb/comments"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/verbb/comments/blob/craft-3/CHANGELOG.md#155---2020-05-28-critical"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-04-24T18:00:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-06-05T19:15:00Z"
  }
}