diff --git a/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/__fixtures__/oas3-schema-errors.json b/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/__fixtures__/oas3-schema-errors.json
index 3fcc45ced..b8e6a6dcd 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/__fixtures__/oas3-schema-errors.json
+++ b/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/__fixtures__/oas3-schema-errors.json
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@
   },
   {
     "code": "oas3-schema",
-    "message": "should have required property '$ref'",
+    "message": "should have required property '$ref' and handle special strings like \", <, > or ]]> well",
     "path": [
       "paths",
       "/pets",
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/junit.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/junit.test.ts
index 38b0b865c..cb3e05216 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/junit.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/formatters/__tests__/junit.test.ts
@@ -67,9 +67,10 @@ describe('JUnit formatter', () => {
                 failure: [
                   {
                     $: {
-                      message: "should have required property '$ref'",
+                      message:
+                        "should have required property '$ref' and handle special strings like \", <, > or ]]> well",
                     },
-                    _: 'line 36, col 22, should have required property &apos;$ref&apos; (oas3-schema) at path #/paths/~1pets/get/responses/200/headers/header-1',
+                    _: "line 36, col 22, should have required property '$ref' and handle special strings like \", <, > or ]]> well (oas3-schema) at path #/paths/~1pets/get/responses/200/headers/header-1",
                   },
                 ],
               },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/formatters/junit.ts b/packages/cli/src/formatters/junit.ts
index b8faa1252..2bd8268e4 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/formatters/junit.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/formatters/junit.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ import { printPath, PrintStyle } from '@stoplight/spectral-runtime';
 import { Formatter } from './types';
 import { groupBySource, xmlEscape } from './utils';
 
+/**
+ * Prepares the given text for inclusion in an XML CDATA section.
+ */
+function prepareForCdata(text: string): string {
+  return text.replace(']]>', ']]]]><![CDATA[>');
+}
+
 export const junit: Formatter = (results, { failSeverity }) => {
   let output = '';
 
@@ -50,8 +57,8 @@ export const junit: Formatter = (results, { failSeverity }) => {
         output += `<failure message="${xmlEscape(result.message)}">`;
         output += '<![CDATA[';
         output += `line ${result.range.start.line + 1}, col ${result.range.start.character + 1}, `;
-        output += `${xmlEscape(result.message)} (${result.code}) `;
-        output += `at path ${xmlEscape(printPath(result.path, PrintStyle.EscapedPointer))}`;
+        output += `${prepareForCdata(result.message)} (${result.code}) `;
+        output += `at path ${prepareForCdata(printPath(result.path, PrintStyle.EscapedPointer))}`;
         output += ']]>';
         output += `</failure>`;
         output += '</testcase>\n';