CVE-2020-11002 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-11002 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in dropwizard-validation
Real-World Exposure
io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation☕io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validationReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
dropwizard-validation before versions 2.0.3 and 1.3.21 has a remote code execution vulnerability. A server-side template injection was identified in the self-validating feature enabling attackers to inject arbitrary Java EL expressions, leading to Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability. If you are using a self-validating bean an upgrade to Dropwizard 1.3.21/2.0.3 or later is strongly recommended. The changes introduced in Dropwizard 1.3.19 and 2.0.2 for CVE-2020-5245 unfortunately did not fix the underlying issue completely. The issue has been fixed in dropwizard-validation 1.3.21 and 2.0.3 or later. We strongly recommend upgrading to one of these versions.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | all versions | 1.3.21 |
| ☕Maven | io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.3 | 2.0.3 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update io.dropwizard:dropwizard-validation to 1.3.21 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-11002 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-11002 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2020-11002. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-11002 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-11002 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.