How severe is CVE-2020-16259?

CVE-2020-16259 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-2020-16259 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-16259?

CVE-2020-16259 affects Winstonprivacy Winston Firmware. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-16259?

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

When was CVE-2020-16259 published?

CVE-2020-16259 was published on 2020-10-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-16259

CVE-2020-16259 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Winstonprivacy Winston Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (75th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Winstonprivacy Winston Firmware
Published: 2020-10-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Winston 1.5.4 devices have an SSH user account with access from bastion hosts. This is undocumented in device documents and is not announced to the user.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-16259?: Winston 1.5.4 devices have an SSH user account with access from bastion hosts. This is undocumented in device documents and is not announced to the user.
How severe is CVE-2020-16259?: CVE-2020-16259 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-2020-16259 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (75th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-16259?: CVE-2020-16259 affects Winstonprivacy Winston Firmware. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-16259?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-16259 published?: CVE-2020-16259 was published on 2020-10-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:o:winstonprivacy:winston_firmware:1.5.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Winstonprivacy Winston Firmware

CVE-2020-16257 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Winston 1.5.4 devices are vulnerable to command injection via the API.
CVE-2020-16263 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Winston 1.5.4 devices have a CORS configuration that trusts arbitrary origins. This allows requests to be made and…
CVE-2020-16256 — High (CVSS 8.8): The API on Winston 1.5.4 devices is vulnerable to CSRF.
CVE-2020-16262 — High (CVSS 7.8): Winston 1.5.4 devices have a local www-data user that is overly permissioned, resulting in root privilege escalation.
CVE-2020-16260 — High (CVSS 7.5): Winston 1.5.4 devices do not enforce authorization. This is exploitable from the intranet, and can be combined with…
CVE-2020-16258 — High (CVSS 7.1): Winston 1.5.4 devices make use of a Monit service (not managed during the normal user process) which is configured with…

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