How severe is CVE-2020-2096?

CVE-2020-2096 has a CVSS score of 6.1/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-2096?

CVE-2020-2096 affects the following packages: org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-2096?

No patched version of org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook has shipped for CVE-2020-2096 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.

How do I detect CVE-2020-2096 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-2096 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

Is CVE-2020-2096 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2020-2096, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-2096?

CVE-2020-2096 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 92.8%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-2096?

CVE-2020-2096 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

Is there exploit tooling available for CVE-2020-2096?

A Nuclei detection template exists for CVE-2020-2096, meaning automated scanners can fingerprint it. Public exploit tooling significantly increases real-world risk — prioritize patching and ensure detection coverage. Exploit tooling should only ever be used in isolated, authorized testing environments.

When was CVE-2020-2096 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-2096 was published on January 15, 2020 and was last updated on October 20, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2020-2096 — gitlab-hook

MEDIUM

CVE-2020-2096 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

Reflected XSS vulnerability in Jenkins gitlab-hook Plugin

Also known asGHSA-8696-836p-c8qp

Published

Jan 15, 2020

Updated

Oct 20, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 23, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

92.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2020-2096 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,803 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook

Real-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

Jenkins Gitlab Hook Plugin 1.4.2 and earlier does not escape project names in the build_now endpoint, resulting in a reflected XSS vulnerability.

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook`	all versions	No fix

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

gitlab hookjenkins

≤ 1.4.2

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-47927webappsjava

Jenkins Gitlab Hook Plugin 1.4.2 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

by Ai Ho · Jan 16, 2020

Exploit-DB Source

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of org.jenkins-ci.ruby-plugins:gitlab-hook has shipped for CVE-2020-2096 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
Escape or sanitise the affected output on the server side rather than relying on client-side filtering, and add a Content-Security-Policy that blocks inline script execution so injected markup cannot run even if it reaches the page.

How to detect CVE-2020-2096

A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:

nuclei -id cve-2020-2096 -u https://target

Template: Jenkins Gitlab Hook <=1.4.2 - Cross-Site Scripting
Severity: medium
Impact: Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's browser, leading to potential data theft or unauthorized actions.
Remediation: Upgrade to the latest version of Jenkins Gitlab Hook plugin (>=1.4.3) to mitigate this vulnerability.

Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (madrobot), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Jenkins Gitlab Hook Plugin 1.4.2 and earlier does not escape project names in the build_now endpoint, resulting in a reflected XSS vulnerability.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-2096 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

6.1/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

Timeline

Disclosed

Jan 15, 2020

First exploit

Jan 16, 2020

Same day as disclosure — rapid exploitation

Last updated

Oct 20, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2020-2096

GHSA-8696-836p-c8qp

References

Advisoryopenwall.com Advisoryjenkins.io Advisorynvd.nist.gov Packagegithub.com Evidencepacketstormsecurity.com

Related vulnerabilities

Also affects gitlab-hook

This CVE is medium severity, in line with the other 1 CVE affecting gitlab-hook.

CVE-2018-1000196

Same weakness: CWE-79

This CVE is medium severity; 4 of 7 other CVEs with CWE-79 are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-114061GHSA-2rqm-h6hv-g79vCVE-2026-115897CVE-2026-114128CVE-2026-63430GHSA-c6gr-qvv4-5v3fGHSA-cg2g-xh64-v4q7Browse all CWE-79

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 20, 2026