Is CVE-2020-6754 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-6754 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-6754 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2020-6754 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-6754?

CVE-2020-6754 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

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CRITICAL

CVE-2020-6754

CWE-22Published: February 5, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

dotCMS before 5.2.4 is vulnerable to directory traversal, leading to incorrect access control. It allows an attacker to read or execute files under $TOMCAT_HOME/webapps/ROOT/assets (which should be a protected directory). Additionally, attackers can upload temporary files (e.g., .jsp files) into /webapps/ROOT/assets/tmp_upload, which can lead to remote command execution (with the permissions of the user running the dotCMS application).

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-6754 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.