CVE-2020-35728 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Serialization gadget exploit in jackson-databind
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.
- CISA’s own triage has not observed active exploitation or public proof-of-concept code for this CVE as of its last assessment.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2020-35728.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-35728 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databindReal-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
FasterXML jackson-databind 2.x before 2.9.10.8 mishandles the interaction between serialization gadgets and typing, related to com.oracle.wls.shaded.org.apache.xalan.lib.sql.JNDIConnectionPool (aka embedded Xalan in org.glassfish.web/javax.servlet.jsp.jstl).
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.9.10.8 | 2.9.10.8com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:2.9.10.8 |
Affected Products
debian linuxdebianjackson-databindfasterxmlservice level managernetappagile product lifecycle managementoracleapplication testing suiteoracleautovueoracleResearch 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 com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind to 2.9.10.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-35728 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.
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.
The following Red Hat Products ship jackson-databind version 2.10.0 or later which is not considered affected by this CVE (see https://medium.com/@cowtowncoder/jackson-2-10-safe-default-typing-2d018f0ce2ba) * JBoss Data Grid 7 * JBoss Data Grid 8 * Enterprise Application Platform 7 * Red Hat Decision Manager 7 * Red…
The following conditions are needed for an exploit, we recommend avoiding all if possible: * Deserialization from sources you do not control * `enableDefaultTyping()` * `@JsonTypeInfo using `id.CLASS` or `id.MINIMAL_CLASS` * avoid com.oracle.wls.shaded.org.apache.xalan.lib.sql.JNDIConnectionPool in the classpathSource: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2020-35728 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| OpenShift Logging 5.0 | openshift-logging/elasticsearch6-rhel8:v5.0.3-1 | RHSA-2021:1515 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.6 | openshift4/ose-logging-elasticsearch6:v4.6.0-202104161407.p0 | RHSA-2021:1230 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-35728 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.