How severe is CVE-2020-15149?

CVE-2020-15149 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.

Is CVE-2020-15149 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-15149?

CVE-2020-15149 affects Nodebb. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-15149?

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-2020-15149 published?

CVE-2020-15149 was published on 2020-08-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-15149

CVE-2020-15149 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Nodebb with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9. 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-287.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.9)
CVSS v2: 6.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (82nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-287
Affected product: Nodebb
Published: 2020-08-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

NodeBB before version 1.14.3 has a bug introduced in version 1.12.2 in the validation logic that makes it possible to change the password of any user on a running NodeBB forum by sending a specially crafted socket.io call to the server. This could lead to a privilege escalation event due via an account takeover. As a workaround you may cherry-pick the following commit from the project's repository to your running instance of NodeBB: 16cee1b03ba3eee177834a1fdac4aa8a12b39d2a. This is fixed in version 1.14.3.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-15149?: NodeBB before version 1.14.3 has a bug introduced in version 1.12.2 in the validation logic that makes it possible to change the password of any user on a running NodeBB forum by sending a specially crafted socket.io call to the server. This could lead to a privilege escalation event due via an account takeover. As a workaround you may cherry-pick the following commit from the project's repository to your running instance of NodeBB: 16cee1b03ba3eee177834a1fdac4aa8a12b39d2a. This is fixed in version 1.14.3.
How severe is CVE-2020-15149?: CVE-2020-15149 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.9, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability low.
Is CVE-2020-15149 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (82nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-15149?: CVE-2020-15149 affects Nodebb. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-15149?: 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-2020-15149 published?: CVE-2020-15149 was published on 2020-08-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:nodebb:nodebb:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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