How severe is CVE-2020-12271?

CVE-2020-12271 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-12271 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-12271 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-12271?

CVE-2020-12271 primarily affects Sophos Sfos. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-12271?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.

Does CVE-2020-12271 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2020-12271 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-4584. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).

When was CVE-2020-12271 published?

CVE-2020-12271 was published on 2020-04-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-12271

CVE-2020-12271 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Sophos Sfos with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, confirming it has been exploited in the wild (added 2021-11-03). The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-89.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 42% (99th percentile)
Actively exploited: Yes — listed in CISA KEV (added 2021-11-03)
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2020-4584
EU exploitation: Flagged exploited in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (since 2021-11-03)
Weakness: CWE-89
Affected product: Sophos Sfos
Published: 2020-04-27
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A SQL injection issue was found in SFOS 17.0, 17.1, 17.5, and 18.0 before 2020-04-25 on Sophos XG Firewall devices, as exploited in the wild in April 2020. This affected devices configured with either the administration (HTTPS) service or the User Portal exposed on the WAN zone. A successful attack may have caused remote code execution that exfiltrated usernames and hashed passwords for the local device admin(s), portal admins, and user accounts used for remote access (but not external Active Directory or LDAP passwords)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-12271?: A SQL injection issue was found in SFOS 17.0, 17.1, 17.5, and 18.0 before 2020-04-25 on Sophos XG Firewall devices, as exploited in the wild in April 2020. This affected devices configured with either the administration (HTTPS) service or the User Portal exposed on the WAN zone. A successful attack may have caused remote code execution that exfiltrated usernames and hashed passwords for the local device admin(s), portal admins, and user accounts used for remote access (but not external Active Directory or LDAP passwords)
How severe is CVE-2020-12271?: CVE-2020-12271 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-12271 being actively exploited?: Yes. CVE-2020-12271 is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added on 2021-11-03, which means active exploitation has been confirmed. It should be prioritised for remediation.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-12271?: CVE-2020-12271 primarily affects Sophos Sfos. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-12271?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Because this CVE is known to be actively exploited, treat remediation as urgent — CISA KEV typically sets a short remediation deadline.
Does CVE-2020-12271 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2020-12271 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2020-4584. It is also flagged as exploited in the EUVD (since 2021-11-03).
When was CVE-2020-12271 published?: CVE-2020-12271 was published on 2020-04-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:o:sophos:sfos:17.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:sophos:sfos:17.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:sophos:sfos:17.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:sophos:sfos:18.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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