CVE-2020-14001

Name: CVE-2020-14001
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-07-17T16:15:11.23+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

CRITICALCVSS 9.8/10EPSS 4.47%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-14001 is a critical-severity vulnerability rated 9.8/10 on the CVSS scale. 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.. EPSS estimates a 4.47% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

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.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

9.8/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

4.47%

90.2th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-862

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Kramdown Project	Kramdown	< 2.3.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31
Fedoraproject	Fedora	32
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	20.04

References

https://github.com/gettalong/kramdownThird Party Advisory
https://github.com/gettalong/kramdown/commit/1b8fd33c3120bfc6e5164b449e2c2fc9c9306fdePatch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/gettalong/kramdown/compare/REL_2_2_1...REL_2_3_0Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://kramdown.gettalong.orgVendor Advisory
https://kramdown.gettalong.org/news.htmlRelease Notes, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r96df7899fbb456fe2705882f710a0c8e8614b573fbffd8d12e3f54d2%40%3Cnotifications.fluo.apache.org%3E
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/08/msg00014.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ENMMGKHRQIZ3QKGOMBBBGB6B4LB5I7NQ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KBLTGBYU7NKOUOHDKVCU4GFZMGA6BP4L/
https://rubygems.org/gems/kramdownThird Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200731-0004/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4562-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4743Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/gettalong/kramdownThird Party Advisory
https://github.com/gettalong/kramdown/commit/1b8fd33c3120bfc6e5164b449e2c2fc9c9306fdePatch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/gettalong/kramdown/compare/REL_2_2_1...REL_2_3_0Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://kramdown.gettalong.orgVendor Advisory
https://kramdown.gettalong.org/news.htmlRelease Notes, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r96df7899fbb456fe2705882f710a0c8e8614b573fbffd8d12e3f54d2%40%3Cnotifications.fluo.apache.org%3E
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/08/msg00014.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/ENMMGKHRQIZ3QKGOMBBBGB6B4LB5I7NQ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/KBLTGBYU7NKOUOHDKVCU4GFZMGA6BP4L/
https://rubygems.org/gems/kramdownThird Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200731-0004/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4562-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4743Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 17, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-14001?

How severe is CVE-2020-14001?

CVE-2020-14001 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10 (CRITICAL severity). The EPSS model estimates a 4.47% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-14001?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-14001?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST