CVE-2020-36624 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) CWE-1022 vulnerability in text_helpers. A fix is available for text_helpers — see the affected versions and patch details below.
text_helpers uses web link to untrusted target with window.opener access
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-36624 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,166 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
text_helpersReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects RubyGems packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
A vulnerability was found in ahorner text-helpers up to 1.0.x. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file lib/text_helpers/translation.rb. The manipulation of the argument link leads to use of web link to untrusted target with window.opener access. The attack can be initiated remotely. Upgrading to version 1.1.0 is able to address this issue. The name of the patch is 184b60ded0e43c985788582aca2d1e746f9405a3. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-216520.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💎RubyGems | text_helpers | ≥ 1.1.0&&< 1.2.0 | 1.2.0bundle update text_helpers --conservative |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for text_helpers, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update text_helpers to 1.2.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-36624 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2020-36624 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2020-36624. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-36624 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2020-36624 across RubyGems dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.