CVE-2020-11977 Shell command injection in Apache Syncope
Administrators with workflow entitlements can execute arbitrary code via Shell Service Tasks when the Flowable extension is enabled.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- An administrator
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- Available
What is CVE-2020-11977?
CVE-2020-11977 is a high-severity code injection vulnerability in Apache Syncope, published on 15 Sep 2020. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Official description
In Apache Syncope 2.1.X releases prior to 2.1.7, when the Flowable extension is enabled, an administrator with workflow entitlements can use Shell Service Tasks to perform malicious operations, including but not limited to file read, file write, and code execution.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-11977?
2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.syncope:syncope. It affects 1 product.
| Package | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.syncope:syncope Maven | From 2.1.0 | 2.1.7 |
org.apache.syncope:syncope Maven | From 2.1.0 | 2.1.7 |
Products include Apache Syncope.
How do I fix CVE-2020-11977?
Upgrade org.apache.syncope:syncope to 2.1.7 or later.
Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.
Is CVE-2020-11977 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-11977 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Apache Syncope
- CVE-2026-53405 Apache Syncope: Remote Code Execution via Flowable BPMN Groovy ScriptTask
- CVE-2026-53421 Apache Syncope: Remote Code Execution via Scripted Connector
- CVE-2026-57308 Apache Syncope: SQL injection vulnerability in Audit Events search
- CVE-2026-62183 Apache Syncope: User self-service privilege escalation
- CVE-2026-63071 Apache Syncope: RCE via Groovy Sandbox bypass
Sources
Also known as GHSA-p2rp-cmjq-r7wm.