HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-27637
CRITICAL

CVE-2020-27637

CWE-22Published: January 12, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The R programming language’s default package manager CRAN is affected by a path traversal vulnerability that can lead to server compromise. This vulnerability affects packages installed via the R CMD install cli command or the install.packages() function from the interpreter. Update to version 4.0.3

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-27637 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

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 9.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

r-project1 product(s)
cran
Source: NVD CPE · 1 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://labs.bishopfox.com/advisories/cran-version-4.0.2
ADVISORYhttps://www.r-project.org/foundation/
ADVISORYhttps://labs.bishopfox.com/advisories/cran-version-4.0.2
ADVISORYhttps://www.r-project.org/foundation/

All References (6)

→
https://labs.bishopfox.com/advisories/cran-version-4.0.2Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-07
→
https://www.r-project.org/foundation/Vendor Advisory
→
https://labs.bishopfox.com/advisories/cran-version-4.0.2Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-07
→
https://www.r-project.org/foundation/Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-27637
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-22
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 12, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-22)

CVE-2010-4931
10.0
CVE-2010-5323
10.0
CVE-2014-3914
10.0
CVE-2011-2653
10.0
CVE-2026-59555
10.0
CVE-2008-6604
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-27637 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. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2020-27637·NVD