CVE-2020-17519: Apache Flink Improper Access Control Vulnerability
Reference page built from the source records below, each shown as its source publishes it. Dataset version ref-349f74dc07c8, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z.
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- Name
- Apache Flink Improper Access Control Vulnerability
- Vendor
- Apache
- Product
- Flink
- Added to the catalog
- 2024-05-23
- Due date for US federal agencies
- 2024-06-13
- Weaknesses
- CWE-552
- Catalog version
- 2026.10.30
Apache Flink contains an improper access control vulnerability that allows an attacker to read any file on the local filesystem of the JobManager through its REST interface.
Required action (CISA)
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Ransomware use: CISA does not mark known use of this vulnerability in ransomware campaigns.
Links in CISA's notes
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/typ0h03zyfrzjqlnb7plh64df1g2383d
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17519
Read on 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z under licence cisa-kev-cc0@b0067899 from https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json
NVD analysis
- Status
- Analyzed
- Published
- 2021-01-05T12:15:12.680
- Last modified
- 2026-06-17T02:59:04.010
- Weaknesses
- CWE-552
A change introduced in Apache Flink 1.11.0 (and released in 1.11.1 and 1.11.2 as well) allows attackers to read any file on the local filesystem of the JobManager through the REST interface of the JobManager process. Access is restricted to files accessible by the JobManager process. All users should upgrade to Flink 1.11.3 or 1.12.0 if their Flink instance(s) are exposed. The issue was fixed in commit b561010b0ee741543c3953306037f00d7a9f0801 from apache/flink:master.
| Metric | Score | Severity | Vector | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.5 | HIGH | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N | [email protected] (Primary) |
| CVSS 3.1 | 9.1 | CRITICAL | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (Secondary) |
| CVSS 2.0 | 5 | MEDIUM | AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N | [email protected] (Primary) |
References
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160849/Apache-Flink-1.11.0-Arbitrary-File-Read-Directory-Traversal.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/05/2 (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0a433be10676f4fe97ca423d08f914e0ead341c901216f292d2bbe83%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1125f3044a0946d1e7e6f125a6170b58d413ebd4a95157e4608041c7%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r229167538863518738e02f4c1c5a8bb34c1d45dadcc97adf6676b0c1%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r26fcdd4fe288323006253437ebc4dd6fdfadfb5e93465a0e4f68420d%40%3Cuser-zh.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r28f17e564950d663e68cc6fe75756012dda62ac623766bb9bc5e7034%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2fc60b30557e4a537c2a6293023049bd1c49fd92b518309aa85a0398%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4e1b72bfa789ea5bc20b8afe56119200ed25bdab0eb80d664fa5bfe2%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cuser.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r88b55f3ebf1f8f4e1cc61f030252aaef4b77060b56557a243abb92a1%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r88f427865fb6aa6e6378efe07632a1906b430365e15e3b9621aabe1d%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r90890afea72a9571d666820b2fe5942a0a5f86be406fa31da3dd0922%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Not Applicable)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra8c96bf3ccb4e491f9ce87ba35f134b4449beb2a38d1ce28fd89001f%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160849/Apache-Flink-1.11.0-Arbitrary-File-Read-Directory-Traversal.html (Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/05/2 (Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0a433be10676f4fe97ca423d08f914e0ead341c901216f292d2bbe83%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1125f3044a0946d1e7e6f125a6170b58d413ebd4a95157e4608041c7%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r229167538863518738e02f4c1c5a8bb34c1d45dadcc97adf6676b0c1%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r26fcdd4fe288323006253437ebc4dd6fdfadfb5e93465a0e4f68420d%40%3Cuser-zh.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r28f17e564950d663e68cc6fe75756012dda62ac623766bb9bc5e7034%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r2fc60b30557e4a537c2a6293023049bd1c49fd92b518309aa85a0398%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4e1b72bfa789ea5bc20b8afe56119200ed25bdab0eb80d664fa5bfe2%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cuser.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r88b55f3ebf1f8f4e1cc61f030252aaef4b77060b56557a243abb92a1%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r88f427865fb6aa6e6378efe07632a1906b430365e15e3b9621aabe1d%40%3Cissues.flink.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Vendor Advisory)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r90890afea72a9571d666820b2fe5942a0a5f86be406fa31da3dd0922%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E (Mailing List, Not Applicable)
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra8c96bf3ccb4e491f9ce87ba35f134b4449beb2a38d1ce28fd89001f%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E (Issue Tracking)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-17519 (US Government Resource)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
Read on 2026-11-02T23:41:51.476Z under licence nvd-api-terms-of-use@ff2a5288 from https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2020-17519
CVE record
- Title (CNA)
- Apache Flink directory traversal attack: reading remote files through the REST API
- Assigner
- apache
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Published
- 2021-01-05T11:40:14.000Z
- Updated
- 2025-10-21T23:35:30.697Z
- Problem types
- CWE-552 Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
A change introduced in Apache Flink 1.11.0 (and released in 1.11.1 and 1.11.2 as well) allows attackers to read any file on the local filesystem of the JobManager through the REST interface of the JobManager process. Access is restricted to files accessible by the JobManager process. All users should upgrade to Flink 1.11.3 or 1.12.0 if their Flink instance(s) are exposed. The issue was fixed in commit b561010b0ee741543c3953306037f00d7a9f0801 from apache/flink:master.
References
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r6843202556a6d0bce9607ebc02e303f68fc88e9038235598bde3b50d%40%3Cdev.flink.apache.org%3E
- [flink-user] 20210105 [CVE-2020-17519] Apache Flink directory traversal attack: reading remote files through the REST API
- [flink-dev] 20210105 [CVE-2020-17519] Apache Flink directory traversal attack: reading remote files through the REST API
- [announce] 20210105 [CVE-2020-17519] Apache Flink directory traversal attack: reading remote files through the REST API
- [oss-security] 20210105 [CVE-2020-17519] Apache Flink directory traversal attack: reading remote files through the REST API
- [flink-issues] 20210106 [GitHub] [flink-web] zentol commented on a change in pull request #408: Add security page for Flink
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160849/Apache-Flink-1.11.0-Arbitrary-File-Read-Directory-Traversal.html
- [flink-issues] 20210110 [jira] [Updated] (FLINK-20916) Typo in test for CVE-2020-17519
- [flink-dev] 20210110 [jira] [Created] (FLINK-20916) Typo in test for CVE-2020-17519
- [flink-issues] 20210110 [jira] [Created] (FLINK-20916) Typo in test for CVE-2020-17519
- [flink-issues] 20210111 [jira] [Assigned] (FLINK-20916) Typo in test for CVE-2020-17519
- [flink-issues] 20210111 [jira] [Commented] (FLINK-20916) Typo in test for CVE-2020-17519
- [flink-dev] 20210113 Re: [DISCUSS] Releasing Apache Flink 1.10.3
- [flink-dev] 20210115 Re: [DISCUSS] Releasing Apache Flink 1.10.3
- [announce] 20210125 Apache Software Foundation Security Report: 2020
- [announce] 20210223 Re: Apache Software Foundation Security Report: 2020
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r26fcdd4fe288323006253437ebc4dd6fdfadfb5e93465a0e4f68420d%40%3Cuser-zh.flink.apache.org%3E
Read on 2026-11-03T01:03:53.943Z under licence cve-terms-of-use@81bfa2f3 from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/main/cves/2020/17xxx/CVE-2020-17519.json
Also known as / affected packages
GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6
Also known as: CVE-2020-17519. OSV.dev record, GitHub advisory.
- Maven org.apache.flink:flink-runtime_2.11: introduced 1.11.0, fixed 1.11.3
- Maven org.apache.flink:flink-runtime_2.12: introduced 1.11.0, fixed 1.11.3
Read on 2026-11-03T00:50:53.656Z under licence ghsa-cc-by-4.0@9e5f1b3c from https://api.osv.dev/v1/vulns/GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6
Defensive techniques (MITRE D3FEND)
D3FEND maps these defensive techniques to the weakness (CWE) that NVD lists for this CVE, through the digital artifacts the weakness affects. D3FEND does not say they stop this vulnerability.
CWE-552: Files or Directories Accessible to External Parties
D3FEND lists no defensive technique for this weakness.
D3FEND ontology version 1.6.0.
Read on 2026-11-03T00:02:06.175Z under licence d3fend-terms-of-use@f98cbc7e from https://d3fend.mitre.org/api/weakness/cwe/CWE-552.json
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/
Sources and licences
CISA
Source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30, CC0 1.0. Use of this data does not imply endorsement by CISA or DHS.
National Vulnerability Database (NIST)
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.
NVD API Terms of Use (NIST publications in the public domain, 17 U.S.C. 105)
CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation
Copyright © 1999-2026, The MITRE Corporation. CVE is a trademark and the CVE logo is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. CVE Usage: MITRE hereby grants you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE™). Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy.
GitHub Advisory Database via OSV.dev
GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6: GitHub Advisory Database, https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), provided as is, without warranties. Retrieved via OSV.dev (https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6), which enriches records; fields selected and reformatted by ransomware-tracker.com.
MITRE D3FEND
MITRE D3FEND™ knowledge graph. © 2025 The MITRE Corporation.
"The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use D3FEND for research, development, and commercial purposes. Any copy you make for such purposes is authorized provided that you reproduce MITRE's copyright designation and this license in any such copy." Terms: https://d3fend.mitre.org/tou/MITRE D3FEND Terms of Use (site + knowledge graph); source repo MIT
Cite this page
Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "CVE-2020-17519: Apache Flink Improper Access Control Vulnerability",
entity page, dataset version ref-349f74dc07c8, updated 2026-11-02T23:39:54.475Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/cve/CVE-2020-17519 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: CISA Catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, version 2026.10.30.
Underlying source: National Vulnerability Database (NIST), CVE API 2.0, record last modified 2026-06-17T02:59:04.010.
Underlying source: CVE List (CVE Program, The MITRE Corporation), record updated 2025-10-21T23:35:30.697Z.
Underlying source: GitHub Advisory Database, GHSA-395w-qhqr-9fr6, via OSV.dev, modified 2025-10-22T19:32:40.489579Z.
Underlying source: MITRE D3FEND, ontology version 1.6.0.
Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.