# CVE-2020-12519: Privilege escalation in AXC F 1152 (1151412)

> Attackers can gain root privileges and execute arbitrary code on Phoenix Contact PLCnext Control Devices via a privilege escalation vulnerability.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 17 Dec 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-26hg-qjgg-2868

## What is CVE-2020-12519?

CVE-2020-12519 is a high-severity vulnerability in Phoenix Contact AXC F 1152 (1151412), published on 17 Dec 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

On Phoenix Contact PLCnext Control Devices versions before 2021.0 LTS an attacker can use this vulnerability i.e. to open a reverse shell with root privileges.

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-12519?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Phoenixcontact Plcnext Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-12519?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-12519 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-12519 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12519 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Phoenix Contact AXC F 1152 (1151412)

- [CVE-2020-12517](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12517/): Cross-site scripting in AXC F 1152 (1151412) (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-12521](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12521/): Denial of service in AXC F 1152 (1151412) (medium 6.5)
- [CVE-2020-12518](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12518/): Information disclosure in AXC F 1152 (1151412) (medium 5.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-12519 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-12519 is a high-severity vulnerability in Phoenix Contact AXC F 1152 (1151412), published on 17 Dec 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12519 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Phoenix Contact AXC F 1152 (1151412). 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-2020-12519/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12519/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-12519
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-12519
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-12519

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12519/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.