How severe is CVE-2020-5222?

CVE-2020-5222 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-5222?

CVE-2020-5222 affects the following packages: org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven), org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5222?

Update org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel to 7.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-5222 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2020-5222 in my Maven dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-5222 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-2020-5222 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2020-5222 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-5222?

CVE-2020-5222 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 0.9%, placing it in the 61th 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-2020-5222?

CVE-2020-5222 is classified as Hard-coded Credentials (CWE-798). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2020-5222 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-5222 was published on January 30, 2020 and was last updated on October 20, 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

HIGH severity

CVE-2020-5222 — opencast-kernel

HIGHFix: opencast/opencast@1a7172c

CVE-2020-5222 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Hard-coded Credentials vulnerability in org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel. A fix is available for org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Hard-Coded Key Used For Remember-me Token in Opencast

Also known asGHSA-mh8g-hprg-8363

Published

Jan 30, 2020

Updated

Oct 20, 2026

Affected

2 pkgs

Patched

2 / 2

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Nov 7, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

0.9%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs61th percentile — riskier than 61% 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.opencastproject:opencast-kernel☕org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel

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

Impact

The security configuration in etc/security/mh_default_org.xml enables a remember-me cookie based on a hash created from the username, password, and an additional system key. Opencast has hard-coded this system key in the large XML file and never mentions to change this, basically ensuring that all systems use the same key:

<sec:remember-me key="opencast" user-service-ref="userDetailsService" />

This means that an attacker getting access to a remember-me token for one server can get access to all servers which allow log-in using the same credentials without ever needing the credentials. For example, a remember-me token obtained from develop.opencast.org can be used on stable.opencast.org without actually knowing the log-in credentials.

Such an attack will usually not work on different installations – assuming that safe, unique passwords are used – but it is basically guaranteed to work to get access to all machines of one cluster if a token from one machine is compromised.

Patches

This problem is fixed in Opencast 7.6 and Opencast 8.1

Workarounds

We strongly recommend updating to the patched version. Still, as a workaround for older versions, in etc/security/mh_default_org.xml, set a custom key for each server:

<sec:remember-me key="CUSTOM_RANDOM_KEY" user-service-ref="userDetailsService" />

References

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in opencast/opencast
For security-relevant information, email us at [email protected]

Thanks

Thanks to @LukasKalbertodt for reporting the issue.

Affected Packages

2 total 2 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel`	all versions	7.6`org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel:7.6`
☕Maven	`org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel`	≥ 8.0&&< 8.1	8.1`org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel:8.1`

Affected Products

1 product · 2 configurations

Application

opencastapereo

< 7.6

1 version

8.0

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel to 7.6 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-5222 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact The security configuration in `etc/security/mh_default_org.xml` enables a remember-me cookie based on a hash created from the [username, password, and an additional system key](https://docs.spring.io/spring-security/site/docs/3.0.x/reference/remember-me.html). Opencast has hard-coded this system key in the large XML file and never mentions to change this, basically ensuring that all systems use the same key: ```xml <sec:remember-me key="opencast" user-service-ref="userDetailsService" /> ``` This means that an attacker getting access to a remember-me token for one server can get a