# CVE-2020-11847: Vulnerability in sshrelay in privileged access manager provides full system access.

> Authenticated SSH users can execute OS commands to gain full system access in OpenText Privileged Access Manager.

- **Severity:** High 8.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2024
- **Updated:** 22 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hhg2-pww3-h2p9

## What is CVE-2020-11847?

CVE-2020-11847 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in OpenText Privileged Access Manager, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

SSH authenticated user when access the PAM server can execute an OS command to gain the full system access using bash. This issue affects Privileged Access Manager before 3.7.0.1.

Weakness: CWE-78 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-11847?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microfocus Netiq Privileged Access Manager.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-11847?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-11847 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-11847 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-11847 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in OpenText Privileged Access Manager

- [CVE-2020-11846](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11846/): Improper handling of token allows access to restricted resource in Privileged Access Manager (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-11847 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-11847 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in OpenText Privileged Access Manager, published on 21 Aug 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-11847 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OpenText Privileged Access Manager. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11847/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11847/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-11847
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11847
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-11847

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11847/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.