CVE-2020-5552
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 · uneditedCross-site scripting vulnerability in mailform version 1.04 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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 confidenceCross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in mailform version 1.04 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified input vectors. The lack of proper input validation and output encoding on user-supplied data enables attackers to execute malicious client-side scripts in the context of the affected application.
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= 1.04CVSS 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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Identify if mailform is installedCheck your web server for the presence of mailform scripts, typically in web root directories. Look for files named mailform.cgi, mailform.php, or related mailform components.Affected if mailform software is present on the server
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Confirm the installed versionExamine the mailform source code or any version indicator files (such as a README, VERSION file, or the main script header) to determine the exact version number.Affected if the installed version is exactly 1.04
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Identify accessible input fieldsLocate all user-facing input forms handled by mailform (contact forms, feedback forms, etc.). Inspect the HTML forms and their processing scripts to find where user data is collected.Affected if the application accepts user input through web forms
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Check for output encoding in the applicationReview the mailform processing script code to verify if user-supplied data is being output without proper encoding. Look for instances where form inputs are echoed back or logged without HTML escaping (e.g., absence of htmlspecialchars, encodeForHTML, or similar functions).Affected if user input is rendered in responses without HTML encoding
Your environment is affected if mailform version 1.04 is installed and processes user input through web forms without proper output encoding.
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 robust input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data, and apply context-aware escaping before rendering data in HTML. Consider using a security library or framework-provided XSS protection mechanisms.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 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 $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5552 — 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-2020-5552 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
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