velocity-tools — security advisory
The default error page for VelocityView in Apache Velocity Tools prior to 3.1 reflects back the vm file that was entered as part of the URL. An attacker can set an XSS payload file as this vm file in the URL which results in this payload being executed. XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the attacked website and the attacked user. This can be abused to steal session cookies, perform requests in the name of the victim or for phishing attacks.
- Products
- velocity-tools
- Affected versions
- Not specified
- Fixed versions
- 2.0-8
- CVEs
- CVE-2020-13959
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 1 Nov 2026, 13:01 UTC · Revision 1
Source evidence
The default error page for VelocityView in Apache Velocity Tools prior to 3.1 reflects back the vm file that was entered as part of the URL. An attacker can set an XSS payload file as this vm file in the URL which results in this payload being executed. XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the attacked website and the attacked user. This can be abused to steal session cookies, perform requests in the name of the victim or for phishing attacks.
osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959
velocity-tools
Fixed versions: 2.0-8
velocity-tools
Fixed versions: 2.0-8
velocity-tools
Fixed versions: 2.0-8
Complete source record
{
"id": "31d085b22023af285e5c6554bb7da3b06730eb675b0585cd95516a77fca3b3b2",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959",
"summary": "The default error page for VelocityView in Apache Velocity Tools prior to 3.1 reflects back the vm file that was entered as part of the URL. An attacker can set an XSS payload file as this vm file in the URL which results in this payload being executed. XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to execute arbitrary JavaScript in the context of the attacked website and the attacked user. This can be abused to steal session cookies, perform requests in the name of the victim or for phishing attacks.",
"evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959",
"products": [
{
"name": {
"value": "velocity-tools",
"evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0-8",
"evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "velocity-tools",
"evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0-8",
"evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "velocity-tools",
"evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "2.0-8",
"evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
}
],
"severity": "medium",
"structured": {
"id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959",
"aliases": [
"DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959"
],
"metrics": [
{
"type": "CVSS_V3",
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
}
],
"affected": [
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0-8"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "velocity-tools",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/velocity-tools?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
"ecosystem": "Debian:12"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0-8"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "velocity-tools",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/velocity-tools?arch=source&distro=trixie",
"ecosystem": "Debian:13"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "2.0-8"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "velocity-tools",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/velocity-tools?arch=source&distro=forky",
"ecosystem": "Debian:14"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-13959.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
}
],
"modified": "2026-10-26T12:01:27.528300808Z",
"provider": "osv",
"upstream": [
"CVE-2020-13959"
],
"references": [
"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-13959"
]
},
"related_cves": [
{
"value": "CVE-2020-13959",
"evidence": "/upstream"
}
],
"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 451671,
"published_at": "2021-03-10T08:15:14.76+00:00"
}