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Confluence Data CenterApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2020-36290

MEDIUM · 5.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-07-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.4.5 / 7.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
58/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable

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 · unedited
The Livesearch macro in Confluence Server and Data Center before version 7.4.5, from version 7.5.0 before 7.6.3, and from version 7.7.0 before version 7.7.4 allows remote attackers with permission to edit a page or blog to inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript via a cross site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the page excerpt functionality.

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 confidence

A cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in the Livesearch macro of Confluence Server and Data Center. Attackers with edit permissions on a page or blog can inject arbitrary HTML or JavaScript through the page excerpt functionality. The vulnerability affects versions before 7.4.5, 7.5.0 through 7.6.2, and 7.7.0 through 7.7.3.

MitigationApply the appropriate Confluence patch or upgrade to a fixed version (7.4.5+, 7.6.3+, or 7.7.4+). Review existing pages using the Livesearch macro for any malicious excerpt content after patching.

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
Confluence Data CenterApplication
Affected:< 7.4.5>= 7.5.0, < 7.6.3>= 7.7.0, < 7.7.4
Confluence ServerApplication
Affected:< 7.4.5>= 7.5.0, < 7.6.3>= 7.7.0, < 7.7.4

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Confluence version
    Navigate to Confluence Admin > General Configuration or access the /aboutconfluence.action endpoint to view the installed version number
    Affected if The installed version is less than 7.4.5, OR between 7.5.0 and 7.6.2 inclusive, OR between 7.7.0 and 7.7.3 inclusive
  2. Identify Livesearch macro usage
    Search page content or the Confluence database for instances of the Livesearch macro, or use Confluence admin tools to list macros in use
    Affected if The Livesearch macro is present on any page and the version is within the affected ranges listed above
  3. Audit page excerpt content
    Review pages using the Livesearch macro and inspect the excerpt field for any suspicious HTML or JavaScript code that does not belong there
    Affected if Unexpected script tags, event handlers, or suspicious HTML is found in page excerpts linked to Livesearch macros

You are affected if your Confluence Server or Data Center version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND the Livesearch macro is being used on accessible pages.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 7.4.5 / 7.6.3 / 7.7.4 or later
Fixed in 7.4.57.6.37.7.4
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate Confluence patch or upgrade to a fixed version (7.4.5+, 7.6.3+, or 7.7.4+). Review existing pages using the Livesearch macro for any malicious excerpt content after patching.

Recommended fix High confidence

Confluence 7.7.4 or later (or 7.6.3, 7.4.5)

  1. 1. Back up your Confluence database and configuration files before upgrading.
  2. 2. Download Confluence Server or Data Center version 7.4.5, 7.6.3, 7.7.4, or a later stable version from the Atlassian website.
  3. 3. Stop the Confluence service.
  4. 4. Run the installer or apply the upgrade following Atlassian's standard upgrade documentation.
  5. 5. Start the Confluence service and verify the upgrade was successful.
  6. 6. Test the Livesearch macro to confirm the XSS vulnerability is remediated.
Caveat Review Atlassian's upgrade notes for potential compatibility changes with plugins and existing configurations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Confluence Data Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-36290 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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