CVE-2020-10859
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 · uneditedZoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.484 allows authenticated arbitrary file writes during ZIP archive extraction via Directory Traversal in a crafted AppDependency API request.
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 confidenceZoho ManageEngine Desktop Central versions before 10.0.484 contain a path traversal vulnerability in the AppDependency API. An authenticated attacker can craft a ZIP archive containing files with directory traversal sequences (e.g., ../../../) in filenames, causing arbitrary file writes during extraction to locations outside the intended extraction directory.
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< 10.0.484CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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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Identify installed versionLocate the Desktop Central version number in the product UI (typically in About or Settings) or check the installation directory for version files. Compare this to the affected range: versions before 10.0.484 are vulnerable.Affected if Installed version is lower than 10.0.484
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Confirm AppDependency API accessibilityVerify if the /AppDependency API endpoint is exposed and accessible from the network. This endpoint handles file uploads and extraction for application dependencies.Affected if The AppDependency API is accessible without additional network restrictions
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Check authentication on the APIReview whether the AppDependency API requires valid authentication. The vulnerability requires an authenticated attacker to exploit.Affected if The API accepts requests from authenticated users with low-privilege credentials
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Review logs for traversal patternsSearch application logs for API requests containing filenames with ../ sequences or unusual archive extraction patterns. Check logs in the Desktop Central logs directory.Affected if Log entries show archive uploads with directory traversal sequences in filenames
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Inspect extraction directoriesExamine the filesystem for unexpected files written outside the intended extraction directories (typically under the application data or web root folders).Affected if Files exist in directories outside the expected extraction paths, indicating successful exploitation
The environment is affected if Desktop Central version is below 10.0.484 and the AppDependency API is accessible to authenticated users.
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 data10.0.484
Upgrade to ManageEngine Desktop Central version 10.0.484 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict API access to trusted users and monitor for suspicious API requests containing traversal patterns in archive filenames.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10859 — 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-2020-10859 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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