CVE-2020-12880
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Pulse Policy Secure (PPS) and Pulse Connect Secure (PCS) Virtual Appliance before 9.1R8. By manipulating a certain kernel boot parameter, it can be tricked into dropping into a root shell in a pre-install phase where the entire source code of the appliance is available and can be retrieved. (The source code is otherwise inaccessible because the appliance has its hard disks encrypted, and no root shell is available during normal operation.)
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 · moderate confidenceA pre-authentication vulnerability in Pulse Policy Secure and Pulse Connect Secure virtual appliances before version 9.1R8 allows an attacker with console access to manipulate a kernel boot parameter, causing the system to drop into a root shell during the pre-install phase. This bypasses the hard disk encryption and exposes the appliance's entire source code, which is otherwise inaccessible.
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= 9.1<= 9.0= 9.1<= 9.0CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 the installed version of Pulse Connect Secure or Pulse Policy SecureAccess the admin console or use the system management interface to view the software version. On the device, run 'show system information' or check the firmware version through the web interface under System > Configuration > Device > Platform.Affected if The installed version is 9.1 (any release) or 9.0 or earlier, or the version is unknown and earlier than 9.1R8.
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Determine if the appliance is a virtual applianceCheck the system type through the admin console or by running 'show system information' which displays the platform type (physical hardware vs virtual appliance).Affected if The system is a virtual appliance (virtual machine) running the affected software versions.
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Assess physical and console access exposureReview physical security controls and console access policies. For virtual appliances, verify who has access to the virtualization platform console (VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, etc.) and the VM remote console features.Affected if Unrestricted or inadequately controlled physical or virtualization platform console access exists.
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Check boot configuration and bootloader accessFor virtual appliances, review the boot order and bootloader configuration in the virtualization platform. For physical appliances, verify if the bootloader is password-protected and if console access allows boot parameter modification.Affected if Boot parameters can be modified without authentication during the pre-install phase.
The environment is affected if Pulse Connect Secure or Pulse Policy Secure version is 9.1 (any build) or 9.0 or earlier, running as a virtual appliance, and the system has unprotected console or boot parameter access.
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 dataUpgrade to Pulse Connect Secure or Pulse Policy Secure version 9.1R8 or later. Additionally, restrict physical and console access to the virtual appliances to prevent unauthorized manipulation of boot parameters.
- Consultation3.0 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-2020-12880 — 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-2020-12880 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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