How severe is CVE-2020-5398?

CVE-2020-5398 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-5398?

CVE-2020-5398 affects the following packages: org.springframework:spring-webmvc (Maven), org.springframework:spring-webmvc (Maven), org.springframework:spring-webmvc (Maven), org.springframework:spring-webflux (Maven), org.springframework:spring-webflux (Maven), org.springframework:spring-webflux (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5398?

Update org.springframework:spring-webmvc to version 5.2.3.RELEASE or later. Run your dependency manager's update command and verify no transitive dependencies pin the vulnerable version. Use O3 Security's SCA scanner to confirm the fix is applied across your entire dependency tree.

Is CVE-2020-5398 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2020-5398, including 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-5398?

CVE-2020-5398 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 90.2%, placing it in the 100th 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. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

When was CVE-2020-5398 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-5398 was published on January 17, 2020 and was last updated on April 10, 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

CVE-2020-5398

HIGH

RFD attack via Content-Disposition header sourced from request input by Spring MVC or Spring WebFlux Application

Also known asGHSA-8wx2-9q48-vm9r

Published

Jan 17, 2020

Updated

Apr 10, 2026

Affected

6 pkgs

Patched

6 / 6

Exploits

4 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

90.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

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.

Blast Radius

6 pkgs affected

☕org.springframework:spring-webmvc☕org.springframework:spring-webmvc☕org.springframework:spring-webmvc☕org.springframework:spring-webflux☕org.springframework:spring-webflux☕org.springframework:spring-webflux

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

In Spring Framework, versions 5.2.x prior to 5.2.3, versions 5.1.x prior to 5.1.13, and versions 5.0.x prior to 5.0.16, an application is vulnerable to a reflected file download (RFD) attack when it sets a "Content-Disposition" header in the response where the filename attribute is derived from user supplied input.

Affected Packages

6 total 6 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webmvc`	≥ 5.2.0.RELEASE&&< 5.2.3.RELEASE	5.2.3.RELEASE
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webmvc`	≥ 5.1.0.RELEASE&&< 5.1.13.RELEASE	5.1.13.RELEASE
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webmvc`	≥ 5.0.0.RELEASE&&< 5.0.16.RELEASE	5.0.16.RELEASE
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webflux`	≥ 5.2.0.RELEASE&&< 5.2.3.RELEASE	5.2.3.RELEASE
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webflux`	≥ 5.1.0.RELEASE&&< 5.1.13.RELEASE	5.1.13.RELEASE
☕Maven	`org.springframework:spring-webflux`	≥ 5.0.0.RELEASE&&< 5.0.16.RELEASE	5.0.16.RELEASE

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

In Spring Framework, versions 5.2.x prior to 5.2.3, versions 5.1.x prior…

github.comAwesomePocJun 2020

In Spring Framework, versions 5.2.x prior to 5.2.3, versions 5.1.x prior…

github.comGithubJan 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-5398 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2020-5398 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my stack How O3 SCA works