CVE-2020-23052: Catalyst IT Ltd Mahara CMS v19.10.2 was discovered to contain multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilit

Routine

MEDIUM 5.4DOWNGRADE

CVE-2020-23052 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.4) affecting mahara. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Catalyst IT Ltd Mahara CMS v19.10.2 was discovered to contain multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the component groupfiles.php via the Number (Nombre) and Description (Descripción) parameters.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.4 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	0.6% (top 52%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-79
Published	2021-10-22
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: catalyst

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2021-10-22 20:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 03:04 UTCUpdated Record last modified

catalyst mahara DOWNGRADE

Affected: 19.10.2

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 19.10.2

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy mahara || rpm -q mahara || mahara --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 19.10.2 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison mahara sudo apt install mahara=<VERSION_BEFORE_19.10.2> sudo apt-mark hold mahara

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list mahara sudo dnf downgrade mahara-<VERSION_BEFORE_19.10.2> sudo dnf versionlock add mahara

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2020-23052?

mahara: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-23052 being exploited?

CVE-2020-23052 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2020-23052 affect?

CVE-2020-23052 affects mahara. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.4). Catalyst IT Ltd Mahara CMS v19.10.2 was discovered to contain multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the component groupfiles.php via the Number (Nombre) and Description (Descripción) parameters.

How urgent is CVE-2020-23052?

Priority 36/100. Public exploit reference

Software pages

PHP vulnerabilities

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References

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