# CVE-2020-5222: Hard-Coded Key Used For Remember-me Token in OpenCast

> Attackers can reuse remember-me tokens across servers due to a hard-coded key, allowing unauthorized access without credentials.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Jan 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-mh8g-hprg-8363

## What is CVE-2020-5222?

CVE-2020-5222 is a medium-severity vulnerability in opencast, published on 30 Jan 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Opencast before 7.6 and 8.1 enables a remember-me cookie based on a hash created from the username, password, and an additional system key. This means that an attacker getting access to a remember-me token for one server can get access to all servers which allow log-in using the same credentials without ever needing the credentials. This problem is fixed in Opencast 7.6 and Opencast 8.1

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-5222?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel` | Maven | All versions | 7.6 |
| `org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel` | Maven | All versions | 7.6 |
| `org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel` | Maven | From 8.0 | 8.1 |
| `org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel` | Maven | From 8.0 | 8.1 |

Products: Apereo Opencast.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-5222?

Upgrade org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel to a fixed version for your release line: 7.6 or 8.1.

## Is CVE-2020-5222 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5222 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in opencast

- [CVE-2021-43821](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43821/): Files Accessible to External Parties in Opencast (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2020-5206](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5206/): Authentication Bypass For Endpoints With Anonymous Access in OpenCast (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2021-32623](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-32623/): Opencast vulnerable to billion laughs attack (XML bomb) (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2020-5229](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5229/): Opencast stores passwords using outdated MD5 hash algorithm (high 7.7)
- [CVE-2020-5230](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5230/): Opencast uses unsafe identifiers (high 7.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-5222 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-5222 is a medium-severity vulnerability in opencast, published on 30 Jan 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-5222 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 7.6
- org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 7.6
- org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven): affected from 8.0; fixed in 8.1
- org.opencastproject:opencast-kernel (Maven): affected from 8.0; fixed in 8.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5222/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5222/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-5222
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5222
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-5222

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-5222/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.