How severe is CVE-2020-8218?

CVE-2020-8218 has a CVSS score of 7.2/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-8218?

Affected package information for CVE-2020-8218 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2020-8218?

No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2020-8218 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2020-8218 in my code and dependencies?

Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-8218 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Stop passing untrusted input into the interpreter or shell: call the affected binary with an argument array rather than a composed command string, reject anything outside a strict allowlist of expected values, and run the component under an account that cannot reach beyond the work it legitimately does.

Is CVE-2020-8218 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 6 known exploit references for CVE-2020-8218, including 5 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-8218?

CVE-2020-8218 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 32.3%, placing it in the 98th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2020-8218 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2020-8218 (Pulse Connect Secure Code Injection Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-07. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-09-07. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2020-8218?

CVE-2020-8218 is classified as Code Injection (CWE-94). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2020-8218 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-8218 was published on July 30, 2020 and was last updated on October 21, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2020-8218

HIGH

CVE-2020-8218 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.2) Code Injection vulnerability. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-07) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

A code injection vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure <9.1R8 that allows an attacker to crafted a URI to perform an arbitrary code execution via the admin web interface.

Published

Jul 30, 2020

Updated

Oct 21, 2025

Affected

3 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

6 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 22, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-07. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-09-07.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2020-8218.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

32.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs98th percentile — riskier than 98% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2020-8218 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 395,249 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

A code injection vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure <9.1R8 that allows an attacker to crafted a URI to perform an arbitrary code execution via the admin web interface.

Affected Products

3 products · 24 configurations

Application

connect secureivanti

≤ 9.0

1 version

9.1

Application

policy secureivanti

1 version

9.1

Application

pulse policy securepulsesecure

≤ 9.0

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.