How severe is CVE-2020-36172?

CVE-2020-36172 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-36172 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (55th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-36172?

CVE-2020-36172 affects Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-36172?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-36172 published?

CVE-2020-36172 was published on 2021-01-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-36172

CVE-2020-36172 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1. 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-79.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.1)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (55th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-79
Affected product: Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields
Published: 2021-01-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Advanced Custom Fields plugin before 5.8.12 for WordPress mishandles the escaping of strings in Select2 dropdowns, potentially leading to XSS.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-36172?: The Advanced Custom Fields plugin before 5.8.12 for WordPress mishandles the escaping of strings in Select2 dropdowns, potentially leading to XSS.
How severe is CVE-2020-36172?: CVE-2020-36172 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.1, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-36172 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (55th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-36172?: CVE-2020-36172 affects Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-36172?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-36172 published?: CVE-2020-36172 was published on 2021-01-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-custom-fields/#developers

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:advancedcustomfields:advanced_custom_fields:*:*:*:*:*:wordpress:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields

CVE-2023-1196 — High (CVSS 8.8): The Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Free and Pro WordPress plugins 6.x before 6.1.0 and 5.x before 5.12.5 unserialize user…
CVE-2022-2594 — High (CVSS 8.8): The Advanced Custom Fields WordPress plugin before 5.12.3, Advanced Custom Fields Pro WordPress plugin before 5.12.3…
CVE-2021-20865 — High (CVSS 7.5): Advanced Custom Fields versions prior to 5.11 and Advanced Custom Fields Pro versions prior to 5.11 contain a missing…
CVE-2023-30777 — High (CVSS 7.1): Unauth. Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in WP Engine Advanced Custom Fields Pro, WP Engine Advanced…
CVE-2024-9529 — Medium (CVSS 6.6): The Secure Custom Fields WordPress plugin before 6.3.9, Secure Custom Fields WordPress plugin before 6.3.6.3, Advanced…
CVE-2024-4565 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): The Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) WordPress plugin before 6.3, Advanced Custom Fields Pro WordPress plugin before 6.3…

All CVEs affecting Advancedcustomfields Advanced Custom Fields →

Other CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-49410 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Imran Emu TC…
CVE-2024-47875 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): DOMPurify is a DOM-only, super-fast, uber-tolerant XSS sanitizer for HTML, MathML and SVG. DOMpurify was vulnerable to…
CVE-2024-6886 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation (XSS or 'Cross-site Scripting') vulnerability in Gitea…
CVE-2023-45144 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): com.xwiki.identity-oauth:identity-oauth-ui is a package to aid in building identity and service providers based on…
CVE-2023-45138 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Change Request is an pplication allowing users to request changes on a wiki without publishing the changes directly.…
CVE-2022-4361 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Keycloak, an open-source identity and access management solution, has a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the…

Browse all CWE-79 (Cross-site Scripting (XSS)) vulnerabilities →