How severe is CVE-2020-17496?

CVE-2020-17496 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-2020-17496 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-17496 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-17496?

CVE-2020-17496 affects Vbulletin. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-17496?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2020-17496 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2020-17496 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-9444. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2020-17496 published?

CVE-2020-17496 was published on 2020-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-17496

CVE-2020-17496 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Vbulletin with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-74.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 88% (100th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2020-9444
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-74
Affected product: Vbulletin
Published: 2020-08-12
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

vBulletin 5.5.4 through 5.6.2 allows remote command execution via crafted subWidgets data in an ajax/render/widget_tabbedcontainer_tab_panel request. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2019-16759.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-17496?: vBulletin 5.5.4 through 5.6.2 allows remote command execution via crafted subWidgets data in an ajax/render/widget_tabbedcontainer_tab_panel request. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2019-16759.
How severe is CVE-2020-17496?: CVE-2020-17496 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-2020-17496 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2020-17496 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-17496?: CVE-2020-17496 affects Vbulletin. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-17496?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2020-17496 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2020-17496 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-9444. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2020-17496 published?: CVE-2020-17496 was published on 2020-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:vbulletin:vbulletin:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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