How severe is CVE-2020-8445?

CVE-2020-8445 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-2020-8445 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-8445?

CVE-2020-8445 affects Ossec. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8445?

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-2020-8445 published?

CVE-2020-8445 was published on 2020-01-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-8445

CVE-2020-8445 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Ossec 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-20.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-20
Affected product: Ossec
Published: 2020-01-30
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the OS_CleanMSG function in ossec-analysisd doesn't remove or encode terminal control characters or newlines from processed log messages. In many cases, those characters are later logged. Because newlines (\n) are permitted in messages processed by ossec-analysisd, it may be possible to inject nested events into the ossec log. Use of terminal control characters may allow obfuscating events or executing commands when viewed through vulnerable terminal emulators. This may be an unauthenticated remote attack for certain types and origins of logged data.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-8445?: In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the OS_CleanMSG function in ossec-analysisd doesn't remove or encode terminal control characters or newlines from processed log messages. In many cases, those characters are later logged. Because newlines (\n) are permitted in messages processed by ossec-analysisd, it may be possible to inject nested events into the ossec log. Use of terminal control characters may allow obfuscating events or executing commands when viewed through vulnerable terminal emulators. This may be an unauthenticated remote attack for certain types and origins of logged data.
How severe is CVE-2020-8445?: CVE-2020-8445 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-2020-8445 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8445?: CVE-2020-8445 affects Ossec. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8445?: 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-2020-8445 published?: CVE-2020-8445 was published on 2020-01-30 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:ossec:ossec:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Ossec

CVE-2020-8447 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the server component responsible for log analysis (ossec-analysisd) is vulnerable to a…
CVE-2020-8444 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the server component responsible for log analysis (ossec-analysisd) is vulnerable to a…
CVE-2020-8443 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the server component responsible for log analysis (ossec-analysisd) is vulnerable to…
CVE-2020-8442 — High (CVSS 8.8): In OSSEC-HIDS 2.7 through 3.5.0, the server component responsible for log analysis (ossec-analysisd) is vulnerable to a…
CVE-2018-19666 — High (CVSS 7.8): The agent in OSSEC through 3.1.0 on Windows allows local users to gain NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM access via Directory…
CVE-2021-28040 — High (CVSS 7.5): An issue was discovered in OSSEC 3.6.0. An uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in os_xml.c occurs when a large number…

All CVEs affecting Ossec →

Other CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-48316 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48281 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48277 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): ColdFusion versions 2025.9, 2023.20 and earlier are affected by an Improper Input Validation vulnerability that could…
CVE-2026-48055 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Streambert is a cross-platform Electron Desktop App to stream and download any video media. In versions 2.4.0 and…
CVE-2026-34910 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A malicious actor with access to the network could exploit an Improper Input Validation vulnerability found in UniFi OS…
CVE-2026-33587 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Lack of user input sanitisation in Open Notebook v1.8.3 allows the application user to execute Python code (and…

Browse all CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) vulnerabilities →