External risk intelligence

jQuery Vulnerability Allows Untrusted Code Execution.

CVE advisoryKnown Exploit

CVE-2020-11023

This vulnerability resides in jQuery, a foundational library ubiquitous in web applications. Because web applications are frequently internet-facing and rely on DOM manipulation for processing user input, this flaw is highly likely to be exposed in common real-world web deployments.

Halo Surface Signal: 4 out of 5 — likely to be public-facing.

External exposure likelihood

Horizon Alert

Summary of the vulnerability and why it matters

The jQuery library, when handling specific HTML content within certain versions, presents a vulnerability. This flaw can enable the execution of unintended code, potentially impacting system integrity and data confidentiality. The issue arises from how the library processes certain user-supplied data.

  • Vulnerable component: jQuery library
  • Core weakness: Unintended code execution
  • Main business impact: Data compromise or system manipulation

Attack Path

How an attacker could exploit the issue

An attacker can exploit a vulnerability in jQuery when it processes untrusted HTML containing specific elements. This allows for the execution of malicious code within the context of a user's browser. The vulnerability stems from how certain jQuery methods handle the insertion of HTML, particularly when that HTML includes `<option>` tags.

  • Exposed through untrusted HTML input.
  • Attacker injects malicious code.
  • Code executes in browser context.

Live Threat

Current exploitation, exposure, and threat context

This vulnerability impacts web applications that use specific versions of the jQuery library. An attacker could exploit this by presenting specially crafted HTML containing option elements to a web application. If the application processes this input using certain jQuery functions, malicious code could be executed within the context of a user's browser. This could lead to unauthorized actions or data exposure for affected users.

  • Attackers require minimal skill.
  • Exploitation needs user interaction.
  • Business risk is moderate.

Operational Fix

Recommended remediation, mitigation, and detection steps

The organization should address a cross-site scripting vulnerability within the jQuery library. This flaw can permit attackers to execute untrusted code by manipulating HTML input in specific ways. Addressing this requires identifying systems that use the affected versions of jQuery, mitigating the risk, applying the vendor's solution, and confirming the fix.

  • Find all affected assets.
  • Isolate risk or reduce exposure.
  • Apply fix, verify, and monitor.

Supplementary metadata

Validate whether this threat affects your internet-facing exposure.

Halo Threat Intelligence helps prioritize remediation with Halo Surface Signal and H/A/L/O context. Start exposure validation with a free external attack surface trial.

Frequently asked questions

What is jQuery and its role in web development?

jQuery is a widely-used, efficient JavaScript library designed to simplify common web development tasks. It streamlines operations such as HTML and CSS manipulation, event handling, animations, and asynchronous JavaScript and XML (Ajax) requests, enabling developers to achieve more with less code.

What is CVE-2020-11023 and what type of weakness does it represent?

CVE-2020-11023 is a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability, specifically a CWE-79 weakness, affecting jQuery versions prior to 3.5.0. It allows attackers to inject and execute malicious code within a user's browser.

How can CVE-2020-11023 be exploited through DOM manipulation?

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by providing specially crafted HTML containing `<option>` elements to jQuery's DOM manipulation functions, such as `.html()` or `.append()`. Even if the input is seemingly sanitized, these methods may still execute untrusted code in the user's browser.

How relevant is CVE-2020-11023 to internet-facing applications?

This vulnerability is highly relevant to internet-facing web applications. As jQuery is a common library for web development and is often used to process user input, applications that rely on older versions of jQuery are likely exposed.

What is the recommended action to address CVE-2020-11023?

The recommended action is to update jQuery to version 3.5.0 or later, as this version includes a patch for the vulnerability. If updating is not immediately possible, consult vendor advisories for potential mitigations.

References