CVE-2020-26211 | Cross-Site Scripting in BookStack

In BookStack before version 0.30.4, a user with permissions to edit a page could insert JavaScript code through the use of `javascript:` URIs within a link or form which would run, within the context of the current page, when clicked or submitted. Additionally, a user with permissions to edit a page could insert a particular meta tag which could be used to silently redirect users to a alternative location upon visit of a page. Dangerous content may remain in the database but will be removed before being displayed on a page. If you think this could have been exploited the linked advisory provides a SQL query to test. As a workaround without upgrading, page edit permissions could be limited to only those that are trusted until you can upgrade although this will not address existing exploitation of this vulnerability. The issue is fixed in BookStack version 0.30.4.

Published: 2020-11-03 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2020-26211 is rated Moderate Risk (51.3/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.43%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-26211

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-03-30 0.84% 0.43% -0.41%
2 2025-03-29 0.43% 0.84% +0.41%
3 2025-03-17 0.43%

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-26211

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.7 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
1.3 5.8 [email protected]
8.7 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C)
Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
2.3 5.8 [email protected]
3.5 2.0 LOW
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
6.8 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-26211

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2020-26211

GHSA-ch37-ch8w-cfrq · Severity: high · Ecosystem: composer — Bookstack Cross-site Scripting vulnerability

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-26211

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
bookstackapp bookstack < 0.30.4 cpe:2.3:a:bookstackapp:bookstack:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-26211

cvelogic Threat Intelligence