Joomla\!Application · Joomla
CVE-2020-15696
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. Lack of input filtering and escaping allows XSS attacks in mod_random_image.
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 · moderate confidenceA stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in Joomla!'s mod_random_image module through version 3.9.19. The module fails to properly filter and escape user-controlled input when rendering random images, allowing attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code that executes in the context of other users' browsers viewing pages containing the module.
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
>= 3.0.0, <= 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
- 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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Check your Joomla versionOpen the Joomla administrator panel and navigate to System > System Information, or inspect the /configuration.php file for the $version string. Alternatively, check the /libraries/cms/version.php file.Affected if The installed version is between 3.0.0 and 3.9.19 inclusive
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Verify mod_random_image module existsIn the Joomla administrator panel, go to Extensions > Modules and search for 'mod_random_image' or filter by module type 'Random Image'.Affected if The mod_random_image module is present in the installation
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Confirm mod_random_image is publishedIn Extensions > Modules, locate mod_random_image and check the Status column. A green checkmark indicates it is published/enabled.Affected if The mod_random_image module shows as Published (enabled)
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Check if random image module is assigned to menu itemsIn the module settings for mod_random_image, go to the Menu Assignment tab to see which pages display the module.Affected if The module is assigned to display on one or more public-facing pages
You are affected if your Joomla version is 3.0.0 through 3.9.19 AND the mod_random_image module is published and assigned to visible pages.
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 dataUpgrade Joomla! to version 3.9.20 or later which addresses the input filtering and escaping issues in mod_random_image. Alternatively, disable the mod_random_image module until the update can be applied.
Fix this in Joomla\!
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 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 $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15696 — 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-2020-15696 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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