CVE-2020-35480

Name: CVE-2020-35480
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-12-18T08:15:15.437+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.3/10EPSS 1.52%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-35480 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.3/10 on the CVSS scale. An issue was discovered in MediaWiki before 1.35.1. Missing users (accounts that don't exist) and hidden users (accounts that have been explicitly hidden due to being abusive, or similar) that the viewer cannot see are handled differently, exposing sensitive information about the hidden status to unprivileged viewers. EPSS estimates a 1.52% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in MediaWiki before 1.35.1. Missing users (accounts that don't exist) and hidden users (accounts that have been explicitly hidden due to being abusive, or similar) that the viewer cannot see are handled differently, exposing sensitive information about the hidden status to unprivileged viewers. This exists on various code paths.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.3/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.52%

71.3th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-203

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Mediawiki	Mediawiki	< 1.35.1
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Fedoraproject	Fedora	33

References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/STT5Z4A3BCXVH3WIPICWU2FP4IPIMUPC/
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-announce/2020-December/000268.htmlMailing List, Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T120883Permissions Required
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4816Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/STT5Z4A3BCXVH3WIPICWU2FP4IPIMUPC/
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/mediawiki-announce/2020-December/000268.htmlMailing List, Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T120883Permissions Required
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4816Mailing List, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Dec 18, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-35480?

How severe is CVE-2020-35480?

CVE-2020-35480 has a CVSS score of 5.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.52% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-35480?

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-2020-35480?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST