CVE-2020-36518 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Deeply nested json in jackson-databind
Exploitation Status
No confirmed exploitation observed yet
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
- 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-2020-36518.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-36518 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 < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind☕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
jackson-databind is a data-binding package for the Jackson Data Processor. jackson-databind allows a Java stack overflow exception and denial of service via a large depth of nested objects.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind | ≥ 2.13.0&&< 2.13.2.1 | 2.13.2.1com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:2.13.2.1 |
| ☕Maven | com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind | all versions | 2.12.6.1com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:2.12.6.1 |
Affected Products
debian linuxdebianjackson-databindfasterxmlactive iq unified managernetappcloud insights acquisition unitnetapponcommand insightnetapponcommand workflow automationnetappResearch 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 2.13.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-36518 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.
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.
CodeReady Studio is no longer supported and therefore this flaw will not be addressed in CodeReady Studio.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Logging subsystem for Red Hat OpenShift 5.4 | openshift-logging/elasticsearch6-rhel8:v6.8.1-265 | RHSA-2022:7435 |
| OpenShift Logging 5.3 | openshift-logging/elasticsearch6-rhel8:v6.8.1-277 | RHSA-2022:8889 |
| Red Hat AMQ 7.10.0 | jackson-databind | RHSA-2022:5101 |
| Red Hat AMQ Streams 2.2.0 | jackson-databind | RHSA-2022:6819 |
| Red Hat AMQ Streams 2.4.0 | see advisory | RHSA-2023:3223 |
| Red Hat build of Eclipse Vert.x 4.2.7 | jackson-databind | RHSA-2022:5029 |
| Red Hat build of Quarkus 2.7.6 | jackson-databind | RHSA-2022:5596 |
| Red Hat Data Grid 8.3.1 | jackson-databind | RHSA-2022:2232 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36518 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.