# CVE-2020-8254: Path traversal in Pulse Secure Desktop Client

> Attackers can achieve remote code execution on Windows clients by tricking users into connecting to a malicious server, mitigated by disabling dynamic certificate trust.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **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:** 28 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-p993-j26m-6v98

## What is CVE-2020-8254?

CVE-2020-8254 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Pulse Secure Desktop Client, published on 28 Oct 2020. 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

A vulnerability in the Pulse Secure Desktop Client < 9.1R9 has Remote Code Execution (RCE) if users can be convinced to connect to a malicious server. This vulnerability only affects Windows PDC.To improve the security of connections between Pulse clients and Pulse Connect Secure, see below recommendation(s):Disable Dynamic certificate trust for PDC.

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory), CWE-23 (Relative Path Traversal)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-8254?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Pulsesecure Pulse Secure Desktop Client.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-8254?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-8254 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-8254 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-8254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2020-8254: Zip Slip in Pulse Secure VPN Windows Client (github_poc): https://github.com/mbadanoiu/CVE-2020-8254

## Other vulnerabilities in Pulse Secure Desktop Client

- [CVE-2020-8239](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8239/): Privilege escalation in Pulse Secure Desktop Cient (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-8240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8240/): Privilege escalation in Pulse Secure Desktop Client (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-8248](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8248/): Privilege escalation in Pulse Secure Desktop Client (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-8249](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8249/): Memory corruption in Pulse Secure Desktop Client (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2020-8250](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8250/): Privilege escalation in Pulse Secure Desktop Client (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-8254 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-8254 is a high-severity path traversal vulnerability in Pulse Secure Desktop Client, published on 28 Oct 2020. 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-2020-8254 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Pulse Secure Desktop Client. 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-2020-8254/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8254/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-8254
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8254
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-8254

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8254/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.