Summary
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in the fallback authentication endpoint
Workarounds
If the homeserver is not configured to use reCAPTCHA, consent (terms of service), or single sign-on then the affected endpoint can be blocked at a reverse proxy:
/_matrix/client/r0/auth/.*/fallback/web/_matrix/client/unstable/auth/.*/fallback/web
Impact
The fallback authentication endpoint served via Synapse was vulnerable to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. The impact depends on the configuration of the domain that Synapse is deployed on, but may allow access to cookies and other browser data, CSRF vulnerabilities, and access to other resources served on the same domain or parent domains.
Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session. Typical impact: session or credential theft, and actions taken as the user.
CVE-2020-26891 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). 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 (1.21.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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This is fixed by #8444, which is included in Synapse v1.21.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-26891? CVE-2020-26891 is a medium-severity cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in matrix-synapse (pip), affecting versions < 1.21.0. It is fixed in 1.21.0. Untrusted input is rendered as active markup in a victim's browser, which can run script in their session.
- How severe is CVE-2020-26891? CVE-2020-26891 has a CVSS score of 6.1 (Medium). 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 matrix-synapse are affected by CVE-2020-26891? matrix-synapse (pip) versions < 1.21.0 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-26891? Yes. CVE-2020-26891 is fixed in 1.21.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-26891 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-26891 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-2020-26891 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-2020-26891? Upgrade
matrix-synapseto 1.21.0 or later.