Joomla\!Application · Joomla
CVE-2020-15695
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Joomla! through 3.9.19. A missing token check in the remove request section of com_privacy causes a CSRF 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 confidenceA Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) vulnerability exists in Joomla! through version 3.9.19 in the com_privacy component's remove request functionality. The missing anti-CSRF token validation allows authenticated administrators to be tricked into unknowingly removing privacy requests via maliciously crafted links or forms, as the application fails to verify the request origin.
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
Joomla\!Application
>= 3.9.0, <= 3.9.19CVSS 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
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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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Identify installed Joomla versionOpen the file /libraries/src/Version.php and locate the RELEASE and DEV_LEVEL constants, or check the administrator dashboard footer for the version numberAffected if The version is 3.9.0 through 3.9.19 inclusive
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Confirm com_privacy component existsVerify the directory /administrator/components/com_privacy/ exists on the serverAffected if The com_privacy component is installed on the system
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Inspect remove request code for missing token validationExamine the controller file in /administrator/components/com_privacy/controllers/requests.php and locate the remove or delete task method. Check whether $this->checkToken() or JSession::checkToken() is called at the beginning of that methodAffected if The remove request task exists but does not call any token validation method (checkToken or similar)
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Verify if privacy requests can be createdLog into the Joomla administrator panel, navigate to Components > Privacy > Requests, and check if the interface allows creating new removal requestsAffected if The privacy request functionality is accessible and active in the admin interface
A user is affected if they are running Joomla version 3.9.0 through 3.9.19, have the com_privacy component installed, and the remove request code lacks CSRF token validation.
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 dataImplement proper CSRF token validation in the remove request action of com_privacy, or upgrade to Joomla 3.9.20 or later which includes the patched token check. All remove request forms and AJAX actions must include and validate a server-generated token.
Fix this in Joomla\!
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15695 — 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-2020-15695 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data