What is CVE-2020-11050?

CVE-2020-11050 is a high-severity security vulnerability in org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (maven), affecting versions <= 1.4.1. It is fixed in 1.5.0.

How severe is CVE-2020-11050?

CVE-2020-11050 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket are affected by CVE-2020-11050?

org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (maven) versions <= 1.4.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11050?

Yes. CVE-2020-11050 is fixed in 1.5.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-11050 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2020-11050 in org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-11050?

CVE-2020-11050 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket are affected by CVE-2020-11050?

org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (maven) versions <= 1.4.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11050?

Yes. CVE-2020-11050 is fixed in 1.5.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-11050 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-11050?

Upgrade org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket to 1.5.0 or later.

Summary

Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch in Java-WebSocket

The Java-WebSocket Client does not perform hostname verification.

This means that SSL certificates of other hosts are accepted as long as they are trusted. To exploit this vulnerability an attacker has to perform a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack between a Java application using the Java-WebSocket Client and an WebSocket server it's connecting to.
TLS normally protects users and systems against MITM attacks, it cannot if certificates from other trusted hosts are accepted by the client.

For more information see: CWE-297: Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch - https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/297.html

Important note

The OWASP Dependency-Check (https://jeremylong.github.io/DependencyCheck/index.html) may report that a dependency of your project is affected by this security vulnerability, but you don't use this lib.
This is caused by the fuzzy search in the OWASP implementation.
Check out this issue (https://github.com/TooTallNate/Java-WebSocket/issues/1019#issuecomment-628507934) for more information and a way to suppress the warning.

Impact

CVE-2020-11050 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (1.5.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (<= 1.4.1)

Security releases

org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket → 1.5.0 (maven)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket to 1.5.0 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11050? CVE-2020-11050 is a high-severity security vulnerability in org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (maven), affecting versions <= 1.4.1. It is fixed in 1.5.0.
How severe is CVE-2020-11050? CVE-2020-11050 has a CVSS score of 9.0 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket are affected by CVE-2020-11050? org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket (maven) versions <= 1.4.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-11050? Yes. CVE-2020-11050 is fixed in 1.5.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-11050 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2020-11050 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2020-11050? Upgrade org.java-websocket:Java-WebSocket to 1.5.0 or later.