CVEs / CVE-2020-8260

CVE-2020-8260: Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Code Execution Vulnerability

Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 3 Nov 2021
high 7.2 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
EPSS 96.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 99% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
Last changed at its sources 17 Jun 2026

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Summary

Pulse Connect Secure contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows an authenticated attacker to perform code execution using uncontrolled gzip extraction.
CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

Description

A vulnerability in the Pulse Connect Secure < 9.1R9 admin web interface could allow an authenticated attacker to perform an arbitrary code execution using uncontrolled gzip extraction.
The CVE record, via NVD · published 28 Oct 2020 · NVD status: Analyzed

Affected and fixed versions

As stated by the CVE record (from the CNA)
Product	Affected	Fixed in
n/a Pulse Connect Secure / Pulse Policy Secure	9.1R9	—

Exploitation

In CISA KEV since	3 Nov 2021
Due date for US federal agencies	3 May 2022
Used in ransomware campaigns	Unknown
Required action	Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Severity

CVSS 3.1	7.2 high `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Scored by NVD
Weakness	CWE-434

References

CVE-2020-8260 on NVD
CVE-2020-8260 in the CISA KEV catalog
https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/ed-21-03-mitigate-pulse-connect-secure-product-vulnerabilities (cited by CISA)
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160619/Pulse-Secure-VPN-Remote-Code-Execution.html Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44601 Broken Link, Vendor Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-8260 US Government Resource

Sources

Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.

This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.