Joomla\!Application · Joomla
CVE-2020-15700
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 ajax_install endpoint of com_installer 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 CSRF vulnerability exists in Joomla! through 3.9.19 where the ajax_install endpoint in com_installer lacks proper token validation. An attacker could craft a malicious link or form that tricks an authenticated administrator into unknowingly installing arbitrary extensions or packages.
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
>= 3.7.0, <= 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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Check installed Joomla versionLog into the Joomla Administrator backend and navigate to System > System Information, or check the libraries/cms.php file for the VERSION constant, or view the administrator/manifests/files/joomla.xml fileAffected if The installed version is >= 3.7.0 and <= 3.9.19
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Verify com_installer component is presentConfirm the /administrator/components/com_installer directory exists on the server and the component is listed in the Joomla extensions database tableAffected if The com_installer component is installed and enabled
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Check for the ajax_install endpoint exposureInspect the file /administrator/components/com_installer/controllers/ajax.json.php or similar controller file to determine if the install action lacks JSession check or JFormToken validationAffected if The ajax_install endpoint does not validate a CSRF token before processing installation requests
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Confirm administrator access is possibleVerify there is at least one active administrator user account with permission to access the Installer componentAffected if An authenticated administrator session could be hijacked to trigger the CSRF attack
A user is affected if their Joomla installation runs version 3.7.0 through 3.9.19 and the com_installer ajax_install endpoint lacks token validation, allowing a remote attacker to trick an authenticated administrator into installing malicious extensions.
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 dataApply Joomla security patch 3.9.20 or later which implements token validation in the ajax_install endpoint. As a defense-in-depth measure, administrators should verify extension sources before installation and monitor for unexpected installations.
Fix this in Joomla\!
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15700 — 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-2020-15700 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