Is CVE-2020-8254 actively exploited?

No active exploitation of CVE-2020-8254 has been confirmed so far. Continue monitoring, as exploit status can change.

Can CVE-2020-8254 be exploited remotely?

Yes. CVE-2020-8254 is exploitable remotely over the network (CVSS attack vector: Network).

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-8254?

CVE-2020-8254 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH).

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HIGH

CVE-2020-8254

CWE-23Published: October 28, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8

CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A vulnerability in the Pulse Secure Desktop Client < 9.1R9 has Remote Code Execution (RCE) if users can be convinced to connect to a malicious server. This vulnerability only affects Windows PDC.To improve the security of connections between Pulse clients and Pulse Connect Secure, see below recommendation(s):Disable Dynamic certificate trust for PDC.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-8254 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

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.