How severe is CVE-2020-15778?

CVE-2020-15778 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-15778 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 13% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-15778?

CVE-2020-15778 primarily affects Openbsd Openssh. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-15778?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-15778 published?

CVE-2020-15778 was published on 2020-07-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-15778

CVE-2020-15778 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openbsd Openssh with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 13% places it in the 96th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-78.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.4)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 13% (96th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-78
Affected product: Openbsd Openssh
Published: 2020-07-24
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

scp in OpenSSH through 8.3p1 allows command injection in the scp.c toremote function, as demonstrated by backtick characters in the destination argument. NOTE: the vendor reportedly has stated that they intentionally omit validation of "anomalous argument transfers" because that could "stand a great chance of breaking existing workflows."

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-15778?: scp in OpenSSH through 8.3p1 allows command injection in the scp.c toremote function, as demonstrated by backtick characters in the destination argument. NOTE: the vendor reportedly has stated that they intentionally omit validation of "anomalous argument transfers" because that could "stand a great chance of breaking existing workflows."
How severe is CVE-2020-15778?: CVE-2020-15778 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.4, rated high severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-15778 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 13% (96th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-15778?: CVE-2020-15778 primarily affects Openbsd Openssh. In total, 11 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-15778?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-15778 published?: CVE-2020-15778 was published on 2020-07-24 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (11)

cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:8.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:8.3:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:netapp:a700s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:*:*:*:*:*:vmware_vsphere:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:steelstore_cloud_integrated_storage:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:h:netapp:hci_compute_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:h:netapp:hci_storage_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:broadcom:fabric_operating_system:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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Other CWE-78 (OS Command Injection) vulnerabilities

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CVE-2026-49869 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform. Prior to 1.0.45 and 1.3.21, AuthenticationFilter in…
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Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

152.32.208.73 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.217.163 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.204.21 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.145.49 (ipv4-addr)
104.218.164.192 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.162.193 (ipv4-addr)
165.154.11.210 (ipv4-addr)
152.32.207.42 (ipv4-addr)