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Actively exploited

CVE-2020-11023 JQuery Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability

JQuery contains a persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability. When passing maliciously formed, untrusted input enclosed in HTML tags, JQuery's DOM manipulators can execute untrusted code in the context of the user's browser.

From the CISA KEV catalogue version 2026.11.06, with Cybergen analysis. Updated 6 Nov 2026.

Our Assessment

Should You Worry?

Patch urgentlyCybergen assessment
  • CISA confirmed exploitation in the wild and added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 23 Jan 2025.
  • Rated Medium severity (CVSS 6.9, scored by Vendor).
  • It has been in the catalogue for 652 days. Systems still unpatched now have almost certainly been scanned for it.
The Vulnerability

What It Is

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.

Affected Versions

ProductVersions
jquery jQuery>= 1.0.3, < 3.5.0

From the public CVE record, as supplied by the vendor. Always confirm against the vendor advisory.

From Watch to Action

What To Do Now

  1. 1

    Find it

    Search your asset inventory and external attack surface for JQuery. Include cloud images, appliances and anything a supplier runs for you.

    Attack Surface Management
  2. 2

    Fix it

    Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

    Vulnerability Management
  3. 3

    Hunt for compromise

    If an affected system was reachable before you patched, assume it may have been hit. Check logs, new accounts, web shells and outbound connections from the date of exposure.

    Incident Response
  4. 4

    Prove it is fixed

    Rescan or test the system after patching. Upgrades that fail silently and forgotten secondary instances are common.

    Penetration Testing

Vendor Advisories

Regulation

The Compliance Clock

Cyber EssentialsCyber Essentials requires high and critical updates (CVSS 7.0 or above) within 14 days of release. Treat any exploited flaw the same way.NIS2If exploitation causes a significant incident, essential and important entities owe their CSIRT an early warning within 24 hours and a notification within 72 hours.DORAFinancial entities must classify ICT incidents and send an initial notification for a major incident within strict deadlines, with exploited flaws a common cause.US federal (BOD 22-01)Federal civilian agencies had until 13 Feb 2025 to remediate. A sensible benchmark for everyone else.

General guidance, not legal advice. Your obligations depend on your sector, scope and jurisdiction.

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Evidence

Sources

  1. CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue
  2. NVD: CVE-2020-11023
  3. CVE record: CVE-2020-11023
  4. FIRST EPSS
  5. blog.jquery.com/2020/04/10/jquery-3-5-0-released/
  6. debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4693
  7. lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QPN2L2XVQGU
  8. oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html
  9. jquery.com/upgrade-guide/3.5/
  10. security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200511-0006/
  11. drupal.org/sa-core-2020-002
  12. github.com/jquery/jquery/security/advisories/GHSA-jpcq-cgw6-v4j6