CVE-2020-36565 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.3) Path Traversal vulnerability in github.com/labstack/echo/v4. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/labstack/echo/v4 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Echo vulnerable to directory traversal
Exploitation Status
Proof-of-concept exploit code exists
- CISA’s SSVC triage found public proof-of-concept exploit code for this CVE, though no confirmed active exploitation.
- CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for CVE-2020-36565.
EPSS Exploitation Probability
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
github.com/labstack/echo/v4Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Due to improper sanitization of user input on Windows, the static file handler allows for directory traversal, allowing an attacker to read files outside of the target directory that the server has permission to read.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/labstack/echo/v4 | all versions | 4.2.0go get github.com/labstack/echo/v4@v4.2.0 |
Affected Products
echolabstackResearch 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 github.com/labstack/echo/v4, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/labstack/echo/v4 to 4.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-36565 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Resolve every user-supplied path to its canonical form and reject anything that escapes the intended directory, and run the component under an account that has no read or write access outside the directory it legitimately serves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36565 in your dependencies?
Find it across Go, including transitive dependencies.