Is CVE-2020-1981 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-1981 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-1981 be exploited remotely?

No. CVE-2020-1981 requires local access to exploit.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-1981?

CVE-2020-1981 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2020-1981

CWE-377Published: March 11, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A predictable temporary filename vulnerability in PAN-OS allows local privilege escalation. This issue allows a local attacker who bypassed the restricted shell to execute commands as a low privileged user and gain root access on the PAN-OS hardware or virtual appliance. This issue affects only PAN-OS 8.1 versions earlier than PAN-OS 8.1.13. This issue does not affect PAN-OS 7.1, PAN-OS 9.0, or later PAN-OS versions.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-1981 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 7.8.