HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-12880
MEDIUM

CVE-2020-12880

NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: July 27, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An issue was discovered in Pulse Policy Secure (PPS) and Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) Virtual Appliance before 9.1R8. By manipulating a certain kernel boot parameter, it can be tricked into dropping into a root shell in a pre-install phase where the entire source code of the appliance is available and can be retrieved. (The source code is otherwise inaccessible because the appliance has its hard disks encrypted, and no root shell is available during normal operation.)

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-12880 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

ivanti2 product(s)
connect securepolicy secure
pulsesecure2 product(s)
pulse connect securepulse policy secure
Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/?atype=sa
ADVISORYhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44516
ADVISORYhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/?atype=sa
ADVISORYhttps://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44516

All References (4)

→
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/?atype=saVendor Advisory
→
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44516Vendor Advisory
→
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/?atype=saVendor Advisory
→
https://kb.pulsesecure.net/articles/Pulse_Security_Advisories/SA44516Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-12880
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessNVD-CWE-noinfo
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 27, 2020

Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)

CVE-2009-1178
10.0
CVE-2008-6546
10.0
CVE-2009-2543
10.0
CVE-2008-6566
10.0
CVE-2026-46798
10.0
CVE-2009-1216
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-12880 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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