How severe is CVE-2020-5497?

CVE-2020-5497 has a CVSS score of 6.1/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-5497?

CVE-2020-5497 affects the following packages: org.mitre:openid-connect-server (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5497?

No patched version of org.mitre:openid-connect-server has shipped for CVE-2020-5497 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.

How do I detect CVE-2020-5497 in my Maven dependencies?

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

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-5497 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-2020-5497 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2020-5497, including 3 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-2020-5497?

CVE-2020-5497 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 2.1%, placing it in the 81th 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-2020-5497?

CVE-2020-5497 is classified as Cross-site Scripting (XSS) (CWE-79). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2020-5497 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-5497 was published on January 4, 2020 and was last updated on July 8, 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

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2020-5497 — openid-connect-server

MEDIUMFix: mitreid-connect/OpenID-Connect-Java-Spring-Server#1526

CVE-2020-5497 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.1) Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in org.mitre:openid-connect-server. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

XSS in MITREid Connect

Also known asGHSA-c2h6-7gm8-cv4w

Published

Jan 4, 2020

Updated

Jul 8, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 9, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

2.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs81th percentile — riskier than 81% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2020-5497 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.mitre:openid-connect-server

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

The OpenID Connect reference implementation for MITREid Connect through 1.3.3 allows XSS due to userInfoJson being included in the page unsanitized. This is related to header.tag. The issue can be exploited to execute arbitrary JavaScript.

Affected Packages

1 total

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.mitre:openid-connect-server`	all versions	No fix

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

connectmitreid

≤ 1.3.3

range

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.

The OpenID Connect reference implementation for MITREid Connect through …

github.comNVDFeb 2020

The OpenID Connect reference implementation for MITREid Connect through …

securitymetrics.comNVDJan 2023

The OpenID Connect reference implementation for MITREid Connect through …

packetstormsecurity.comNVDJan 2023

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.mitre:openid-connect-server, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of org.mitre:openid-connect-server has shipped for CVE-2020-5497 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-5497 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

6.1/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

Low

Availability

None

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N

CWE Classification

CWE-79Cross-site Scripting (XSS)

Weaponization

No known public exploit tooling found.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

OpenID-Connect-Java-Spring-Server

2.9/10

Maintained0/10

Code-Review6/10

Branch-Protection0/10

Assessed Oct 5, 2026

Timeline

Disclosed

Jan 4, 2020

First exploit

Feb 20, 2020

Last updated

Jul 8, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2020-5497

GHSA-c2h6-7gm8-cv4w

References

Advisoryseclists.org Advisorynvd.nist.gov Reportgithub.com Webgithub.com Webgithub.com Evidencepacketstormsecurity.com Evidencesecuritymetrics.com

Related vulnerabilities

Also affects openid-connect-server

This CVE is medium severity; 1 of 1 other CVE affecting openid-connect-server is rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2021-26715

Same weakness: CWE-79

This CVE is medium severity; 7 of 7 other CVEs with CWE-79 are rated as high or higher (top: high).

CVE-2026-91127CVE-2026-77606CVE-2026-84992CVE-2026-77608CVE-2026-77607GHSA-9rcc-pmj8-ffhrCVE-2026-77616Browse all CWE-79

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedJul 8, 2026

CVE-2020-5497 — openid-connect-server

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2020-5497 in your dependencies?