Skip to main content

Connectwise CVE-2020-15838

HIGH
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource (CWE-732)
2020-10-09 cve@mitre.org
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A01:2025 - Broken Access Control
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Permission assignment review
Impact

CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: network attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A remote attacker could access resources due to misconfigured permissions by sending crafted requests to the affected application.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 1.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

The Agent Update System in ConnectWise Automate before 2020.8 allows Privilege Escalation because the _LTUPDATE folder has weak permissions. Rated high severity (CVSS 8.8), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable, low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Review and restrict file/resource permissions, apply principle of least privilege.

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

This vulnerability is classified as Incorrect Permission Assignment (CWE-732), which allows attackers to access resources due to misconfigured permissions. The Agent Update System in ConnectWise Automate before 2020.8 allows Privilege Escalation because the _LTUPDATE folder has weak permissions. Affected products include: Connectwise Automate. Version information: before 2020.8.

Know when Connectwise gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

The Agent Update System in ConnectWise Automate before 2020.8 allows Privilege Escalation because the _LTUPDATE folder has weak permissions.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
1.2%
Top 34% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low

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 HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 1.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
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.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

45
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +1
CVSS: +44
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:connectwise:automate:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVE-2024-1708 HIGH POC
8.4 Feb 21

Path traversal in ConnectWise ScreenConnect 23.9.7 and earlier enables attackers with administrative privileges to write

CVE-2026-84869 CRITICAL POC
9.9 Sep 08

Unauthorized file transfer and execution in the ConnectWise ScreenConnect client (all versions prior to 26.6.5) lets a p

CVE-2017-11726 HIGH POC
8.8 Jul 31

services/system_io/actionprocessor/System.rails in ConnectWise Manage 2017.5 is vulnerable to Cross-Site Request Forgery

CVE-2023-25719 HIGH POC
8.8 Feb 13

ConnectWise Control before 22.9.10032 (formerly known as ScreenConnect) fails to validate user-supplied parameters such

CVE-2017-11727 MEDIUM POC
6.1 Jul 31

services/system_io/actionprocessor/Contact.rails in ConnectWise Manage 2017.5 allows arbitrary client-side JavaScript co

CVE-2023-25718 CRITICAL
9.8 Feb 13

In ConnectWise Control through 22.9.10032 (formerly known as ScreenConnect), after an executable file is signed, additio

CVE-2021-35066 CRITICAL
9.8 Jun 21

An XXE vulnerability exists in ConnectWise Automate before 2021.0.6.132. Rated critical severity (CVSS 9.8), this vulner

CVE-2020-15027 CRITICAL
9.8 Jul 16

ConnectWise Automate through 2020.x has insufficient validation on certain authentication paths, allowing authentication

CVE-2025-14265 CRITICAL
9.1 Dec 11

Integrity-check and server-side validation weaknesses in the ConnectWise ScreenConnect server's extension subsystem allo

CVE-2026-3564 CRITICAL
9.0 Mar 17

A cryptographic authentication bypass vulnerability in ConnectWise ScreenConnect allows remote attackers who gain access

CVE-2026-9089 HIGH
8.8 May 21

Code integrity failure in ConnectWise Automate Agent versions prior to 2026.5 allows adjacent network attackers to subst

CVE-2020-14159 HIGH
8.8 Jun 15

By using an Automate API in ConnectWise Automate before 2020.5.178, a remote authenticated user could execute commands a

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy