How severe is CVE-2020-2231?

CVE-2020-2231 has a CVSS score of 5.4/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-2231?

CVE-2020-2231 affects the following packages: org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core (Maven), org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-2231?

Update org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core to 2.235.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-2231 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2020-2231 in my Maven dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-2231 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-2020-2231 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 2 known exploit references for CVE-2020-2231, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 1 in-the-wild exploitation 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-2020-2231?

CVE-2020-2231 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 5.3%, placing it in the 93th 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. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-2231?

CVE-2020-2231 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.

When was CVE-2020-2231 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-2231 was published on August 12, 2020 and was last updated on October 24, 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-2020-2231 — jenkins-core

MEDIUMFix: jenkinsci/jenkins@29c9a8f

CVE-2020-2231 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.4) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation in Jenkins

Also known asBIT-jenkins-2020-2231GHSA-jpvq-v729-7j2h

Published

Aug 12, 2020

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

2 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 31, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

5.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs93th percentile — riskier than 93% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

2 pkgs affected

☕org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core☕org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core

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 2.251 and earlier, LTS 2.235.3 and earlier does not escape the remote address of the host starting a build via 'Trigger builds remotely', resulting in a stored cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exploitable by users with Job/Configure permission or knowledge of the Authentication Token.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core`	all versions	2.235.4`org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core:2.235.4`
☕Maven	`org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core`	≥ 2.237&&< 2.252	2.252`org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core:2.252`

Affected Products

1 product · 2 configurations

Application

jenkinsjenkins

≤ 2.251

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-49244webappsjava

Jenkins 2.235.3 - 'X-Forwarded-For' Stored XSS

by gx1 · Dec 14, 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.main:jenkins-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core to 2.235.4 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-2231 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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.

Fixing This On Your OS

If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.

Red HatModerate

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11	`jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600415953-1.el7`	RHSA-2020:4223
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.3	`jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600415514-1.el7`	RHSA-2020:3808
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.4	`openshift4/ose-jenkins:v4.4.0-202009260441.p0`	RHSA-2020:4220
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.5	`jenkins-0:2.235.5.1600414805-1.el7`	RHSA-2020:3841
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.6	`openshift4/ose-aws-ebs-csi-driver-rhel8:v4.6.0-202010311441.p0`	RHBA-2020:4339

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-2231 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

5.4/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

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

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 2 public proof-of-concept references are listed on this page.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

jenkins

6.4/10

Code-Review6/10

Maintained10/10

Branch-Protection3/10

Assessed Oct 26, 2026

Timeline

Disclosed

Aug 12, 2020

First exploit

Dec 14, 2020

Last updated

Oct 24, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2020-2231

GHSA-jpvq-v729-7j2h

BIT-jenkins-2020-2231

References

Advisoryopenwall.com Advisoryjenkins.io · 2020 08 12 Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2020 2231 Webgithub.com · 29c9a8fdeafe26fded955cfba188f50fd4f1786a Evidencepacketstormsecurity.com · Jenkins 2.251 LTS 2.235.3 Cross Site Scripting

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is medium severity; 8 of 8 other CVEs affecting jenkins-core are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-53436CVE-2026-53437CVE-2026-53440CVE-2026-53441CVE-2026-53439CVE-2026-53435CVE-2026-53442CVE-2026-53438

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedOct 24, 2026