How severe is CVE-2020-28656?

CVE-2020-28656 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-28656 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (25th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-28656?

CVE-2020-28656 affects Vw Polo Firmware. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-28656?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-28656 published?

CVE-2020-28656 was published on 2020-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-28656

CVE-2020-28656 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Vw Polo Firmware with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8. 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-354.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (25th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-354
Affected product: Vw Polo Firmware
Published: 2020-11-16
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The update functionality of the Discover Media infotainment system in Volkswagen Polo 2019 vehicles allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary code because some unsigned parts of a metainfo file are parsed, which can cause attacker-controlled files to be written to the infotainment system and executed as root.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-28656?: The update functionality of the Discover Media infotainment system in Volkswagen Polo 2019 vehicles allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary code because some unsigned parts of a metainfo file are parsed, which can cause attacker-controlled files to be written to the infotainment system and executed as root.
How severe is CVE-2020-28656?: CVE-2020-28656 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.8, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over physical access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-28656 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (25th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-28656?: CVE-2020-28656 affects Vw Polo Firmware. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-28656?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-28656 published?: CVE-2020-28656 was published on 2020-11-16 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://www.contextis.com/en/blog/a-code-signing-bypass-for-the-vw-polo

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:o:vw:polo_firmware:2019:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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