Is CVE-2020-13551 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-13551 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-13551 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2020-13551 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13551?

CVE-2020-13551 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2020-13551

CWE-276Published: February 17, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

An exploitable local privilege elevation vulnerability exists in the file system permissions of Advantech WebAccess/SCADA 9.0.1 installation. In privilege escalation via PostgreSQL executable, an attacker can either replace binary or loaded modules to execute code with NT SYSTEM privilege.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-13551 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), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.