# CVE-2020-14009: Security feature bypass in n/a

> Attackers can bypass email scanning and file-blocking rules by sending crafted multipart messages, allowing malicious attachments to reach recipients.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 7 May 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8vj5-xmhg-p7f6

## What is CVE-2020-14009?

CVE-2020-14009 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 May 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Proofpoint Enterprise Protection (PPS/PoD) before 8.16.4 contains a vulnerability that could allow an attacker to deliver an email message with a malicious attachment that bypasses scanning and file-blocking rules. The vulnerability exists because messages with certain crafted and malformed multipart structures are not properly handled.

Weakness: CWE-354 (Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-14009?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Proofpoint Enterprise Protection.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-14009?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-14009 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-14009 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-14009 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-0090](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0090/): Proofpoint Enterprise Protection webservices unauthenticated RCE (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2022-46332](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46332/): Proofpoint Enterprise Protection (PPS/PoD) XSS in "Attachment Names" (critical 9.6)
- [CVE-2023-0089](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-0089/): Proofpoint Enterprise Protection webutils authenticated RCE (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-19680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19680/): Security feature bypass in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2022-46334](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-46334/): Proofpoint Enterprise Protection Local Privilege Escalation (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-14009 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-14009 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 May 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-14009 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2020-14009/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-14009/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-14009
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14009
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-14009

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-14009/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.