Files AntivirusApplication · Owncloud
CVE-2020-16144
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 · uneditedWhen using an object storage like S3 as the file store, when a user creates a public link to a folder where anonymous users can upload files, and another user uploads a virus the files antivirus app would detect the virus but fails to delete it due to permission issues. This affects the files_antivirus component versions before 0.15.2 for ownCloud.
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 confidenceIn ownCloud with S3 object storage, when a public upload link is created for a folder and an anonymous user uploads a malicious file, the files_antivirus component can detect the virus but fails to delete it due to insufficient permissions. The antivirus scanner lacks the necessary IAM/permission scope to remove infected files from the S3 bucket.
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
Files AntivirusApplication
< 0.15.2CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/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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Check installed files_antivirus versionRun 'occ app:list' to list installed apps and grep for files_antivirus, or check the app version in ownCloud's app management interface under the Files Antivirus app detailsAffected if The displayed version is lower than 0.15.2 (e.g., 0.15.1, 0.14.0, etc.)
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Verify S3 object storage is configuredCheck ownCloud's config.php for the objectstore configuration under 'objectstore' key, or examine the system configuration to confirm S3-compatible storage is being used as the primary file storage backendAffected if S3-compatible object storage is configured as the file storage backend
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Confirm public upload links are enabledCheck ownCloud's sharing settings or config.php for 'shareapi_allow_public_upload' set to true, or verify that public link sharing with upload permissions is actively usedAffected if Public link sharing with upload permissions is enabled or was used for folder uploads
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Verify antivirus service account IAM permissions on S3 bucketExamine the IAM policy or credentials used by the files_antivirus component. Check if the service account has s3:DeleteObject permission on the bucket containing the file store. This can be done via AWS IAM console, AWS CLI 'aws iam get-user-policy' or 'aws s3api get-bucket-policy', or by reviewing the antivirus service account credentials and their attached policiesAffected if The antivirus scanner service account lacks s3:DeleteObject permission on the relevant S3 bucket
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Confirm files_antivirus is actively scanning uploadsCheck the antivirus configuration in ownCloud admin panel under the Files Antivirus settings, or inspect config.php for 'files_antivirus' settings including 'mode' (daemon, executable, or socket) and 'enabled' statusAffected if Files Antivirus is enabled and configured to scan uploads but cannot delete detected threats due to permission limits
You are affected if you use ownCloud with files_antivirus versions below 0.15.2, S3 object storage, public upload links, and the antivirus service account lacks delete permissions on the S3 bucket.
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 data0.15.2
Upgrade files_antivirus to version 0.15.2 or later and ensure the service account used by the antivirus component has delete permissions on the S3 bucket containing the file store.
Fix this in Files Antivirus
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16144 — 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-2020-16144 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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