What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-10189?

CVE-2020-10189 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 94.2%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2020-10189?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2020-10189. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 94.2%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2020-10189?

Within 24 hours: Identify all affected systems and apply vendor patches immediately. Restrict deserialization to trusted data sources and implement integrity checks.

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central CVE-2020-10189

CRITICAL

Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502)

2020-03-06 cve@mitre.org

9.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-502 OWASP Top 10:2025 A08:2021 - Software and Data Integrity Failures ASVS 5.0 V10 - Malicious Code Integrity verification, supply chain security MITRE ATT&CK 2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Initial Access The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Impact	Critical risk (CVSS 9.8, EPSS 94.2%). Desktop Central is an endpoint management platform with access to all managed devices. Compromising it gives attackers control over the entire managed fleet. APT41 (Winnti) actively exploited this in 2020.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	An attacker identifies an internet-facing Desktop Central instance, sends a crafted serialized Java object to the CewolfServlet. The server deserializes the payload, executing commands as the Desktop Central service account. The attacker then uses Desktop Central's legitimate management capabilities to deploy malware to all managed endpoints.

Emergency Immediate action required. Why: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited), no patch available.

Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV) No patch listed yet 94.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 26, 2026

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.474 allows unauthenticated remote code execution through Java deserialization in the FileStorage class, exploited by Chinese APT groups for enterprise network compromise.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 26, 2026 - 11:19 CVSS 9.8

A Java deserialization vulnerability in Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central enables unauthenticated remote code execution through the CewolfServlet and MDMLogUploaderServlet endpoints.

RemediationAI

Update Desktop Central immediately. Audit all managed endpoints for unauthorized software deployed through Desktop Central. Restrict Desktop Central's network access to management networks only.

Affected ProductsAI

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.474

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The CWE-502 deserialization flaw in the getChartImage method of the FileStorage class processes untrusted serialized Java objects. Attackers send crafted requests to /cewolf/ or /mdm/ endpoints containing malicious serialized payloads using Commons Collections gadget chains.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Added to CISA KEV

Nov 07, 2025 - 19:33 cisa

CISA KEV

PoC Detected

Nov 07, 2025 - 19:33 vuln.today

Public exploit code

CVE Published

Mar 06, 2020 - 17:15 nvd

CRITICAL 9.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.474 allows remote code execution because of deserialization of untrusted data in getChartImage in the FileStorage class. This is related to the CewolfServlet and MDMLogUploaderServlet servlets.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Organizations using Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.474 face critical risk from CVE-2020-10189, a insecure deserialization vulnerability rated CVSS 9.8. Insecure deserialization could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code by providing crafted serialized data. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (KEV-listed) and requires immediate remediation. Immediate patching is required per CISA KEV mandate.

Business Impact: Severe

Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible: (1) Restrict deserialization endpoints; (2) Implement integrity checks on serialized data; (3) Use type-safe alternatives.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Threat Score

9.8/10

Composite threat intelligence

EPSS Score

94.2%

Top 0% exploitable

Threat Intel

1 sources

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

7 sources

Confidence: High

NVD

CVE.org

CISA KEV

EPSS POC (2) THREAT

Exploit-DB

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV Yes

Public POC Yes

EPSS 94.2%

Patch available No

Active threat Yes

Deciding rule

CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited), no patch available

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.