How severe is CVE-2020-20703?

CVE-2020-20703 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-2020-20703 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (71st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-20703?

CVE-2020-20703 affects Vim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-20703?

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-2020-20703 published?

CVE-2020-20703 was published on 2023-06-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-20703

CVE-2020-20703 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Vim 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. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-120.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (71st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-120
Affected product: Vim
Published: 2023-06-20
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Buffer Overflow vulnerability in VIM v.8.1.2135 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the operand parameter.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-20703?: Buffer Overflow vulnerability in VIM v.8.1.2135 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via the operand parameter.
How severe is CVE-2020-20703?: CVE-2020-20703 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-2020-20703 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (71st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-20703?: CVE-2020-20703 affects Vim. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-20703?: 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-2020-20703 published?: CVE-2020-20703 was published on 2023-06-20 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://github.com/vim/vim/issues/5041

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:vim:vim:8.1.2135:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Vim

CVE-2022-3520 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Heap-based Buffer Overflow in GitHub repository vim/vim prior to 9.0.0765.
CVE-2022-0318 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Heap-based Buffer Overflow in vim/vim prior to 8.2.
CVE-2017-6350 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An integer overflow at an unserialize_uep memory allocation site would occur for vim before patch 8.0.0378, if it does…
CVE-2017-6349 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): An integer overflow at a u_read_undo memory allocation site would occur for vim before patch 8.0.0377, if it does not…
CVE-2017-5953 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): vim before patch 8.0.0322 does not properly validate values for tree length when handling a spell file, which may…
CVE-2008-6235 — Critical (CVSS 9.3): The Netrw plugin (netrw.vim) in Vim 7.0 and 7.1 allows user-assisted attackers to execute arbitrary commands via shell…

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