CVE-2020-8908

CVE-2020-8908 is a low-severity vulnerability in Google Guava with a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.3. 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-732.

Key facts

Description

A temp directory creation vulnerability exists in all versions of Guava, allowing an attacker with access to the machine to potentially access data in a temporary directory created by the Guava API com.google.common.io.Files.createTempDir(). By default, on unix-like systems, the created directory is world-readable (readable by an attacker with access to the system). The method in question has been marked @Deprecated in versions 30.0 and later and should not be used. For Android developers, we recommend choosing a temporary directory API provided by Android, such as context.getCacheDir(). For other Java developers, we recommend migrating to the Java 7 API java.nio.file.Files.createTempDirectory() which explicitly configures permissions of 700, or configuring the Java runtime's java.io.tmpdir system property to point to a location whose permissions are appropriately configured.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-8908?
A temp directory creation vulnerability exists in all versions of Guava, allowing an attacker with access to the machine to potentially access data in a temporary directory created by the Guava API com.google.common.io.Files.createTempDir(). By default, on unix-like systems, the created directory is world-readable (readable by an attacker with access to the system). The method in question has been marked @Deprecated in versions 30.0 and later and should not be used. For Android developers, we recommend choosing a temporary directory API provided by Android, such as context.getCacheDir(). For other Java developers, we recommend migrating to the Java 7 API java.nio.file.Files.createTempDirectory() which explicitly configures permissions of 700, or configuring the Java runtime's java.io.tmpdir system property to point to a location whose permissions are appropriately configured.
How severe is CVE-2020-8908?
CVE-2020-8908 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.3, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-8908 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (57th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8908?
CVE-2020-8908 primarily affects Google Guava. In total, 23 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8908?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-8908 published?
CVE-2020-8908 was published on 2020-12-10 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (23)

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