How severe is CVE-2020-14001?

CVE-2020-14001 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-14001 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-14001?

CVE-2020-14001 primarily affects Kramdown Project Kramdown. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-14001?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-14001 published?

CVE-2020-14001 was published on 2020-07-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-14001

CVE-2020-14001 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Kramdown Project Kramdown with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-862.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 5% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-862
Affected product: Kramdown Project Kramdown
Published: 2020-07-17
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The kramdown gem before 2.3.0 for Ruby processes the template option inside Kramdown documents by default, which allows unintended read access (such as template="/etc/passwd") or unintended embedded Ruby code execution (such as a string that begins with template="string://<%= `). NOTE: kramdown is used in Jekyll, GitLab Pages, GitHub Pages, and Thredded Forum.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-14001?: The kramdown gem before 2.3.0 for Ruby processes the template option inside Kramdown documents by default, which allows unintended read access (such as template="/etc/passwd") or unintended embedded Ruby code execution (such as a string that begins with template="string://<%= `). NOTE: kramdown is used in Jekyll, GitLab Pages, GitHub Pages, and Thredded Forum.
How severe is CVE-2020-14001?: CVE-2020-14001 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-14001 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 5% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-14001?: CVE-2020-14001 primarily affects Kramdown Project Kramdown. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-14001?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-14001 published?: CVE-2020-14001 was published on 2020-07-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:kramdown_project:kramdown:*:*:*:*:*:ruby:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:32:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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