CVE-2020-20523: Gilacms/gila Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rvjp-j5j4-c9j5
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-20523 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Gilacms/gila libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves gila cms cross-site scripting vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.11.4.

CVE-2020-20523 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-20523
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rvjp-j5j4-c9j5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Gilacms/gila
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2020-20523

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

gilacms/gila fixed: 1.11.4 
Upgrade gilacms/gila to 1.11.4
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 gilacms/gila

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2020-20523, inspect your project dependencies for Gilacms/gila:

inspect dependencies for gilacms/gila

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Gilacms/gila in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.11.4), 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 Gilacms/gila, 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

Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in `adm_user` parameter in Gila CMS version 1.11.3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code during the Gila CMS installation.

CVE-2020-20523 Affected Gilacms/gila Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.11.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
gilacms/gila
 Packagist
< 1.11.4
1.11.4

References

NVD — CVE-2020-20523 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-20523
Gilacms/gila Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/GilaCMS/gila/issues/41
Gilacms/gila Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/GilaCMS/gila

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-20523?
CVE-2020-20523 is a security vulnerability in Gilacms/gila involving Gila CMS Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Gilacms/gila versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.11.4 across affected packages: gilacms/gila.
What version fixes CVE-2020-20523?
Upgrading to 1.11.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is gilacms/gila affected?
Yes, gilacms/gila is affected in releases prior to 1.11.4. Upgrade your dependency to 1.11.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-20523?
CVE-2020-20523 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-20523?
CVE-2020-20523 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-2020-20523?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for gilacms/gila'. 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-rvjp-j5j4-c9j5",
  "modified" : "2023-08-16T19:25:37Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-11T15:30:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-20523" ],
  "summary" : "Gila CMS Cross-site Scripting Vulnerability",
  "details" : "Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in `adm_user` parameter in Gila CMS version 1.11.3, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code during the Gila CMS installation.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "gilacms/gila"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.11.4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.11.3"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-20523"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GilaCMS/gila/issues/41"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/GilaCMS/gila"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-11T21:04:04Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-11T14:15:10Z"
  }
}