What is CVE-2020-26290?

CVE-2020-26290 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in github.com/dexidp/dex (go), affecting versions < 2.27.0. It is fixed in 2.27.0, 1.1.0.

How severe is CVE-2020-26290?

CVE-2020-26290 has a CVSS score of 9.3 (Critical). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2020-26290?

github.com/dexidp/dex (go) versions < 2.27.0; github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig (go) versions < 1.1.0.

Is there a fix for CVE-2020-26290?

Yes. CVE-2020-26290 is fixed in 2.27.0, 1.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2020-26290 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-26290 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-2020-26290 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-2020-26290?

Upgrade: github.com/dexidp/dex to 2.27.0 or later, github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig to 1.1.0 or later.

CVE-2020-26290 in github.com/dexidp/dex | Intelligent Application Security

Q: How severe is CVE-2020-26290?

CVE-2020-26290 has a CVSS score of 9.3 (Critical). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2020-26290?

github.com/dexidp/dex (go) versions < 2.27.0; github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig (go) versions < 1.1.0.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2020-26290?

Yes. CVE-2020-26290 is fixed in 2.27.0, 1.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2020-26290 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2020-26290 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-2020-26290 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-2020-26290?

Upgrade: github.com/dexidp/dex to 2.27.0 or later, github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig to 1.1.0 or later.

Summary

Workarounds

There are no known workarounds.

Impact

The following vulnerabilities have been disclosed, which impact users leveraging the SAML connector:

Signature Validation Bypass (CVE-2020-15216): https://github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig/security/advisories/GHSA-q547-gmf8-8jr7

encoding/xml instabilities:

CVE-2020-26290 has a CVSS score of 9.3 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (2.27.0, 1.1.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

github.com/dexidp/dex (< 2.27.0) github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig (< 1.1.0)

Security releases

github.com/dexidp/dex → 2.27.0 (go) github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig → 1.1.0 (go)

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.

See it in your environment

Remediation advice

Immediately update to Dex v2.27.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-26290? CVE-2020-26290 is a critical-severity security vulnerability in github.com/dexidp/dex (go), affecting versions < 2.27.0. It is fixed in 2.27.0, 1.1.0.
How severe is CVE-2020-26290? CVE-2020-26290 has a CVSS score of 9.3 (Critical). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2020-26290?
- github.com/dexidp/dex (go) (versions < 2.27.0)
- github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig (go) (versions < 1.1.0)
Is there a fix for CVE-2020-26290? Yes. CVE-2020-26290 is fixed in 2.27.0, 1.1.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2020-26290 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-26290 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-2020-26290 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-2020-26290?
- Upgrade github.com/dexidp/dex to 2.27.0 or later
- Upgrade github.com/russellhaering/goxmldsig to 1.1.0 or later

Other vulnerabilities in github.com/dexidp/dex

CVE-2024-23656 CVE-2022-39222 CVE-2020-26290 CVE-2020-27847