# CVE-2020-8259: Weak cryptography in Nextcloud Server

> An attacker can replace server-side encryption keys in Nextcloud Server, potentially compromising data confidentiality and integrity.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Nov 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-548f-j4fj-64c5

## What is CVE-2020-8259?

CVE-2020-8259 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nextcloud Nextcloud Server, published on 16 Nov 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Insufficient protection of the server-side encryption keys in Nextcloud Server 19.0.1 allowed an attacker to replace the encryption keys.

Weakness: CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-8259?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Nextcloud Nextcloud Server.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-8259?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-8259 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-8259 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-8259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Nextcloud Nextcloud Server

- [CVE-2021-32802](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-32802/): Preview generation used third-party library not suited for user-generated content in Nextcloud server (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2023-26482](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-26482/): Scope of workflow operations is not validated in nextcloud server (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2018-3775](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-3775/): Auth bypass in Nextcloud Server (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-35172](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-35172/): Nextcloud Server password reset endpoint is not brute force protected (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2023-32320](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-32320/): Nextcloud Server's brute force protection allows someone to send more requests than intended (high 8.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-8259 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-8259 is a high-severity vulnerability in Nextcloud Nextcloud Server, published on 16 Nov 2020. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-8259 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Nextcloud Nextcloud Server. 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-2020-8259/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8259/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-8259
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8259
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-8259

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-8259/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.