CVE-2020-10139
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAcronis True Image 2021 includes an OpenSSL component that specifies an OPENSSLDIR variable as a subdirectory within C:\jenkins_agent\. Acronis True Image contains a privileged service that uses this OpenSSL component. Because unprivileged Windows users can create subdirectories off of the system root, a user can create the appropriate path to a specially-crafted openssl.cnf file to achieve arbitrary code execution with SYSTEM privileges.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceAcronis True Image 2021 includes an OpenSSL component that configures OPENSSLDIR to C:\jenkins_agent\, a subdirectory of the system root. Because unprivileged Windows users can create directories off the system root, an attacker can create this path and place a malicious openssl.cnf file to achieve arbitrary code execution when the privileged service loads the OpenSSL component.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 2021CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Acronis True Image 2021 is installedCheck the installed programs list via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run: Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*Acronis True Image 2021*'}Affected if Acronis True Image 2021 appears in the installed programs list
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Confirm the vulnerable OpenSSL path existsCheck if the directory C:\jenkins_agent\ exists on the system by running: Test-Path C:\jenkins_agent\Affected if The C:\jenkins_agent\ directory exists and contains an openssl.cnf file
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Check if unprivileged users can create the attack pathAttempt to create the directory C:\jenkins_agent\ as a standard (non-admin) user account, or inspect NTFS permissions on the root drive to verify Users group has Create Folder permissionAffected if A standard user can create directories directly under C:\ (the system root) without administrator privileges
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Inspect the OpenSSL configuration used by AcronisLocate the Acronis True Image installation directory (typically under C:\Program Files\Acronis), find the OpenSSL binary and any openssl.cnf files it references, and examine the OPENSSLDIR settingAffected if The OpenSSL configuration points to C:\jenkins_agent\ as the configuration directory
A system is affected if Acronis True Image 2021 is installed, the C:\jenkins_agent\ directory is present or creatable by unprivileged users, and the Acronis OpenSSL component references this path for its configuration file.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataChange OPENSSLDIR to a secure location not user-writable (e.g., within Program Files) or apply vendor patch; alternatively, restrict creation of directories at system root.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10139 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10139 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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