How severe is CVE-2020-8961?

CVE-2020-8961 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-2020-8961 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-8961?

CVE-2020-8961 affects Avira Free Antivirus. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8961?

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-2020-8961 published?

CVE-2020-8961 was published on 2020-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-8961

CVE-2020-8961 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Avira Free Antivirus 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: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (78th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Affected product: Avira Free Antivirus
Published: 2020-04-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Avira Free-Antivirus before 15.0.2004.1825. The Self-Protection feature does not prohibit a write operation from an external process. Thus, code injection can be used to turn off this feature. After that, one can construct an event that will modify a file at a specific location, and pass this event to the driver, thereby defeating the anti-virus functionality.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-8961?: An issue was discovered in Avira Free-Antivirus before 15.0.2004.1825. The Self-Protection feature does not prohibit a write operation from an external process. Thus, code injection can be used to turn off this feature. After that, one can construct an event that will modify a file at a specific location, and pass this event to the driver, thereby defeating the anti-virus functionality.
How severe is CVE-2020-8961?: CVE-2020-8961 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-2020-8961 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (78th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-8961?: CVE-2020-8961 affects Avira Free Antivirus. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8961?: 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-2020-8961 published?: CVE-2020-8961 was published on 2020-04-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://support.avira.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000109798-Avira-Antivirus-for-Windows

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:avira:free_antivirus:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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