AtlasApplication · Apache
CVE-2020-13928
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedApache Atlas before 2.1.0 contain a XSS vulnerability. While saving search or rendering elements values are not sanitized correctly and because of that it triggers the XSS vulnerability.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceApache Atlas before version 2.1.0 contains a stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability where user-supplied values in search queries and rendered elements are not properly sanitized before display, allowing injection of malicious script content.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
AtlasApplication
< 2.1.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine Apache Atlas installed versionLocate the Atlas installation directory and check the version file or package metadata. Common locations include /opt/atlas or the directory where Atlas was deployed. Look for a VERSION file or check the atlas-common or atlas-core jar manifest.Affected if The installed version is anything before 2.1.0 (e.g., 2.0.0, 1.0.x, 0.x.x)
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Verify Atlas web interface is accessibleConfirm the Atlas web application is running and accessible by accessing the Atlas UI endpoint (typically port 21000 by default). The XSS vulnerability requires the web interface to be available for the malicious script to execute.Affected if The Atlas web UI is accessible and user authentication is enabled (authenticated users can inject stored XSS)
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Identify saved searches or custom search queriesExamine the Atlas repository or database for saved search definitions, custom filters, or saved queries that may contain user-supplied values. These are the storage locations where malicious scripts could be persisted.Affected if There are saved searches, custom filters, or query definitions created by users in the system
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Review recently created or modified entity definitionsCheck entity definitions, type metadata, or classification assignments that include user-supplied text fields. These rendered elements could display unsanitized content.Affected if Users have created or modified entity definitions, classifications, or taxonomy terms with custom names or descriptions
You are affected if Apache Atlas version is below 2.1.0 and the web interface is accessible to users who can create or modify search queries or entity definitions containing script content.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data2.1.0
Upgrade to Apache Atlas 2.1.0 or later. Alternatively, implement proper input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied values before saving searches and rendering elements.
Fix this in Atlas
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13928 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-13928 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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