CVE-2020-11023: Jquery Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

Q: What is CVE-2020-11023?

CVE-2020-11023 is a security vulnerability in Jquery involving Potential XSS vulnerability in jQuery under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').

Q: Which Jquery versions are affected?

Affected versions include releases prior to 3.5.0, 4.4.0 across affected packages: jquery, jquery-rails, jQuery, org.webjars.npm:jquery, components/jquery.

Q: What version fixes CVE-2020-11023?

Upgrading to 3.5.0, 4.4.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.

Q: Is jquery affected?

Yes, jquery is affected in releases prior to 3.5.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.5.0 or later.

Q: Is jquery-rails affected?

Yes, jquery-rails is affected in releases prior to 4.4.0. Upgrade your dependency to 4.4.0 or later.

Q: What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11023?

CVE-2020-11023 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N/E:H.

Q: What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11023?

CVE-2020-11023 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.).

Q: How can I check npm dependencies for CVE-2020-11023?

Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls jquery'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.

MODERATE

Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jpcq-cgw6-v4j6

CVSS 6.9

CWE-79

Published 2020-04-29

Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11023 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.9) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Jquery libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves potential xss vulnerability in jquery. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.5.0, 4.4.0.

CVE-2020-11023 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11023

GHSA Identifier GHSA-jpcq-cgw6-v4j6

Severity MODERATE

CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.9

CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Affected Product Jquery

Package Ecosystem npm

Published Date 2020-04-29

Last Updated 2025-10-22

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.9

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)

Attack Complexity High (AC:H)

Privileges Required None (PR:N)

User Interaction Required (UI:R)

Scope Changed (S:C)

Confidentiality High (C:H)

Integrity Low (I:L)

Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-11023

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

jquery fixed: 3.5.0

npm install jquery@3.5.0

jquery-rails fixed: 4.4.0

Upgrade jquery-rails to 4.4.0

jQuery fixed: 3.5.0

Upgrade jQuery to 3.5.0

org.webjars.npm:jquery fixed: 3.5.0

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.webjars.npm</groupId>
    <artifactId>jquery</artifactId>
    <version>3.5.0</version>
</dependency>

components/jquery fixed: 3.5.0

Upgrade components/jquery to 3.5.0

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

npm ls jquery

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by CVE-2020-11023, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls jquery

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jquery in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.5.0), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls jquery command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

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 Jquery, 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

### Impact Passing HTML containing `<option>` elements from untrusted sources - even after sanitizing them - to one of jQuery's DOM manipulation methods (i.e. `.html()`, `.append()`, and others) may execute untrusted code. ### Patches This problem is patched in jQuery 3.5.0. ### Workarounds To workaround this issue without upgrading, use [DOMPurify](https://github.com/cure53/DOMPurify) with its `SAFE_FOR_JQUERY` option to sanitize the HTML string before passing it to a jQuery method. ### References https://blog.jquery.com/2020/04/10/jquery-3-5-0-released/ ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, search for a relevant issue in [the jQuery repo](https://github.com/jquery/jquery/issues). If you don't find an answer, open a new issue.

CVE-2020-11023 Affected Jquery Versions

5 component(s)

Fixed Versions:

3.5.04.4.0

Product / Package	Ecosystem	Affected Versions	Fixed Version
jquery npm/jquery	npm	≥ 1.0.3 < 3.5.0	3.5.0
jquery-rails gem/jquery-rails	RubyGems	< 4.4.0	4.4.0
jQuery nuget/jQuery	NuGet	≥ 1.0.3 < 3.5.0	3.5.0
org.webjars.npm:jquery maven/org.webjars.npm/jquery	Maven	≥ 1.0.3 < 3.5.0	3.5.0
components/jquery	Packagist	≥ 1.0.3 < 3.5.0	3.5.0