CVE-2020-13596: 
Django vulnerability analysis and mitigation

A security vulnerability (CVE-2020-13596) was discovered in Django versions 2.2 before 2.2.13 and 3.0 before 3.0.7. The issue was identified in the Django admin ForeignKeyRawIdWidget where query parameters were not properly URL encoded, creating a potential cross-site scripting (XSS) attack vector. The vulnerability was disclosed on June 3, 2020, and affects Django web framework installations (Django Security).

The vulnerability exists in the admin interface's ForeignKeyRawIdWidget component where query parameters were not properly URL encoded before being processed. This improper encoding could allow an attacker to inject malicious scripts through the widget's parameters. The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.1 (Medium), with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N (Ubuntu Security).

A successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to perform cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks through the Django admin interface. This could potentially lead to the execution of arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the user's browser session, potentially compromising sensitive information or performing actions on behalf of the user (NetApp Security).

The vulnerability requires user interaction and can be exploited remotely. An attacker would need to craft specific query parameters for the ForeignKeyRawIdWidget in the Django admin interface to execute the XSS attack. The vulnerability has been confirmed to be exploitable in production environments (Django Security).

The vulnerability has been fixed in Django versions 2.2.13 and 3.0.7. Users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to these versions or later. The fix ensures that query parameters are correctly URL encoded in the ForeignKeyRawIdWidget. Various Linux distributions have also released patches for their packaged versions of Django (Fedora Updates, Ubuntu Security).