What is CVE-2020-35616?

CVE-2020-35616 is a high-severity vulnerability in Joomla Joomla\!, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2020-12-28.

How severe is CVE-2020-35616?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.

Is CVE-2020-35616 known to be exploited?

4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

Improper input validation in Joomla Joomla\!

CVE-2020-35616

An issue was discovered in Joomla! 1.7.0 through 3.9.22. Lack of input validation while handling ACL rulesets can cause write ACL violations.

Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)

Published 2020-12-28 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.5 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.063 (93.4th percentile), scored 2026-09-30.

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 93rd percentile — 93.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.062 · newest: 0.063 · change: +0.001

Affected products

Joomla Joomla\!
Joomla! Project Cms — versions 1.7.0 - 3.9.22

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-20 — Improper Input Validation

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

developer.joomla.org/security-centre/834-20201107-core-write-acl-violation-in-m… (vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-35616?: CVE-2020-35616 is a high-severity vulnerability in Joomla Joomla\!, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 7.5/10. Published 2020-12-28.
How severe is CVE-2020-35616?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2020-35616 known to be exploited?: 4 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.