CVE-2020-14871
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 · uneditedVulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Pluggable authentication module). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle Solaris. While the vulnerability is in Oracle Solaris, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle Solaris. Note: This CVE is not exploitable for Solaris 11.1 and later releases, and ZFSSA 8.7 and later releases, thus the CVSS Base Score is 0.0. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 10.0 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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 confidenceCritical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Oracle Solaris Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) allowing complete system compromise. Exploitable via network access using multiple protocols on Solaris 10 and early 11 versions (prior to 11.1). Not exploitable on Solaris 11.1+ or ZFSSA 8.7+.
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, < 11.1= 9CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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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Identify the Oracle Solaris versionRun 'uname -a' or 'cat /etc/release' to display the installed operating system versionAffected if The version displayed is 9 or falls between 10.0 and 11.0 (any version less than 11.1)
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Confirm the PAM component is presentVerify the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) is installed on the system by checking for PAM libraries in /usr/lib/security or running 'pkginfo | grep -i pam'Affected if PAM packages are installed on the system
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Determine if PAM is network-accessibleReview listening network services that utilize PAM for authentication, such as sshd, ftpd, or other remote access services. Use 'netstat -an | grep LISTEN' or 'svcs -a | grep network' to identify active network servicesAffected if Any PAM-authenticated service (ssh, ftp, telnet, etc.) is listening on a network interface and accessible from external hosts
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Check for unauthenticated access vectorsVerify whether remote services accepting PAM authentication are configured to allow unauthenticated or anonymous access, or are exposed to the internet without firewall restrictionsAffected if Remote PAM-based services accept connections from untrusted networks without proper access controls
A system is affected if it runs Oracle Solaris version 9 or any version from 10.0 through 11.0 (before 11.1) AND has PAM-based network services accessible from a network, allowing unauthenticated attackers to reach the authentication module.
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.
dbcve · scoped11.1
Upgrade to Solaris 11.1 or later, or apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates for affected versions. For Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance, upgrade to ZFSSA 8.7 or later.
Solaris 11.1 or later
- Backup all critical data and system configurations before proceeding with the upgrade
- Review Oracle Solaris 11.1 release notes and upgrade documentation for known compatibility issues
- Schedule a maintenance window suitable for a system upgrade
- Upgrade Oracle Solaris from version 10 or 11.x (prior to 11.1) to Solaris 11.1 or later release
- After upgrade, verify that the system boots correctly and all critical services are operational
- Confirm the PAM module version matches the updated release to ensure the vulnerability is addressed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14871 — 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-2020-14871 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data