CVE-2020-17489

Name: CVE-2020-17489
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-08-11T21:15:10.837+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 4.3/10EPSS 0.55%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-17489 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 4.3/10 on the CVSS scale. An issue was discovered in certain configurations of GNOME gnome-shell through 3.36.4. When logging out of an account, the password box from the login dialog reappears with the password still visible. EPSS estimates a 0.55% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

An issue was discovered in certain configurations of GNOME gnome-shell through 3.36.4. When logging out of an account, the password box from the login dialog reappears with the password still visible. If the user had decided to have the password shown in cleartext at login time, it is then visible for a brief moment upon a logout. (If the password were never shown in cleartext, only the password length is revealed.)

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

4.3/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.55%

42.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-522

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnome	Gnome-Shell	<= 3.36.4
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	20.04
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Opensuse	Leap	15.2

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00028.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/2997Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00014.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202009-08Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4464-1/Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-11/msg00028.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/2997Exploit, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00014.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202009-08Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4464-1/Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Aug 11, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-17489?

How severe is CVE-2020-17489?

CVE-2020-17489 has a CVSS score of 4.3/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.55% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-17489?

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-2020-17489?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST