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CVE Record

CVE-2020-11023: Potential XSS vulnerability in jQuery

In jQuery versions greater than or equal to 1.0.3 and before 3.5.0, passing HTML containing <option> elements from untrusted sources - even after sanitizing it - to one of jQuery's DOM manipulation methods (i.e. .html(), .append(), and others) may execute untrusted code. This problem is patched in jQuery 3.5.0.

MediumCVSS 6.9Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Older jQuery versions can run attacker-controlled JavaScript when an application inserts untrusted HTML containing option elements into the page. The issue is patched in jQuery 3.5.0. Business risk depends on whether exposed pages accept or render user-supplied HTML through jQuery DOM manipulation.

Executive priority

Treat as a moderate web application hygiene issue. Prioritize remediation for public or authenticated portals that render user-controlled HTML, then clear legacy bundled jQuery across internal tools during normal patch cycles.

Technical view

CVE-2020-11023 affects jQuery >=1.0.3 and <3.5.0. Passing sanitized, untrusted HTML containing option elements to DOM manipulation APIs such as .html() or .append() may execute script. CVSS 3.1 is 6.9 with required user interaction, high attack complexity, and changed scope.

Likely exposure

Public web apps, CMS themes, admin consoles, embedded vendor UIs, and legacy static assets using jQuery before 3.5.0 are plausible exposure points. Exposure requires a code path that feeds untrusted HTML into jQuery DOM insertion APIs.

Exploitation context

The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or active exploitation evidence. Exploitation requires a victim interaction and a vulnerable rendering path, so urgency is highest for internet-facing pages that process user-controlled HTML.

Researcher notes

The key condition is not merely using jQuery <3.5.0; it is passing untrusted HTML with option elements into DOM manipulation methods. Sanitization may be insufficient according to the CVE description. No exploit status is evidenced in the provided sources.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade jQuery to 3.5.0 or later where directly managed.
  • Apply affected vendor, distro, CMS, or appliance security updates where jQuery is bundled.
  • Replace vendored or copied jQuery assets older than 3.5.0.
  • Follow the jQuery 3.5 upgrade guide and regression-test affected UI behavior.
  • Temporarily avoid inserting untrusted HTML through jQuery DOM manipulation paths.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory all jQuery versions in source, package manifests, built assets, and third-party themes.
  • Confirm every deployed jQuery copy is 3.5.0 or vendor-fixed.
  • Review uses of .html(), .append(), and related DOM insertion methods handling untrusted HTML.
  • Test internet-facing forms, comments, previews, and admin tools for unsafe HTML rendering paths.
  • Verify deployed CDN or cached assets no longer serve vulnerable jQuery versions.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
10

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.

cwe · medium confidence lookup

CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup

Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.

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cve · low confidence lookup

CVE-2020-11023 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Medium
CVSS
6.9 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

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

Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

1CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
38Source links

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
6.9CVSS 3.1MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N1.64.7Primary CVE score

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

6.9Medium
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2020-11023Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

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

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
jqueryjQuery>= 1.0.3, < 3.5.0Listed
Weakness

CWE details

CWE-79

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.

CWE-79 · source CWE mapping

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.

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