Is CVE-2020-15179 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-15179 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-15179 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2020-15179 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15179?

CVE-2020-15179 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).

HOME VULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-15179

CRITICAL

CVE-2020-15179

CWE-79Published: September 15, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.0

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The ScratchSig extension for MediaWiki before version 1.0.1 allows stored Cross-Site Scripting. Using <script> tag inside <scratchsig> tag, attackers with edit permission can execute scripts on visitors' browser. With MediaWiki JavaScript API, this can potentially lead to privilege escalation and/or account takeover. This has been patched in release 1.0.1. This has already been deployed to all Scratch Wikis. No workarounds exist other than disabling the extension completely.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-15179 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.0.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-79): Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.