CVE-2020-15778

Name: CVE-2020-15778
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-07-24T14:15:12.45+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7.4/10EPSS 13.00%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-15778 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.4/10 on the CVSS scale. scp in OpenSSH through 8.3p1 allows command injection in the scp.c toremote function, as demonstrated by backtick characters in the destination argument. NOTE: the vendor reportedly has stated that they intentionally omit validation of "anomalous argument transfers" because that could "stand a great chance of breaking existing workflows.". EPSS estimates a 13.00% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

scp in OpenSSH through 8.3p1 allows command injection in the scp.c toremote function, as demonstrated by backtick characters in the destination argument. NOTE: the vendor reportedly has stated that they intentionally omit validation of "anomalous argument transfers" because that could "stand a great chance of breaking existing workflows."

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.4/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

13.00%

95.8th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Openbsd	Openssh	< 8.3
Openbsd	Openssh	8.3
Netapp	A700s Firmware	All versions
Netapp	Active Iq Unified Manager	>= 9.5
Netapp	Hci Management Node	All versions
Netapp	Solidfire	All versions
Netapp	Steelstore Cloud Integrated Storage	All versions
Netapp	Hci Compute Node	All versions
Netapp	Hci Storage Node	All versions
Broadcom	Fabric Operating System	All versions

References

https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:3166Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/cpandya2909/CVE-2020-15778/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25005567Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202212-06Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200731-0007/Third Party Advisory
https://www.openssh.com/security.htmlVendor Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2024:3166Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/cpandya2909/CVE-2020-15778/Exploit, Third Party Advisory
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25005567Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202212-06Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200731-0007/Third Party Advisory
https://www.openssh.com/security.htmlVendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 24, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-15778?

How severe is CVE-2020-15778?

CVE-2020-15778 has a CVSS score of 7.4/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 13.00% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-15778?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-15778?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

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Source: NVD / NIST