CVE-2020-24804
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 · uneditedPlaintext Password vulnerability in AddAdmin.py in cms-dev/cms v1.4.rc1, allows attackers to gain sensitive information via audit logs.
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 plaintext password vulnerability exists in AddAdmin.py of cms-dev/cms v1.4.rc1, where admin passwords are being written in plaintext to audit logs. Attackers with access to these logs can obtain sensitive administrative credentials.
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= 1.4CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 cms installation and versionLocate the cms-dev/cms installation directory and check the version file or package metadata. Common locations include /usr/lib/cms or the source directory. Look for a version indicator such as '1.4' or check via the package manager if installed system-wide.Affected if The installed version is exactly 1.4 (v1.4.rc1 specifically)
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Locate AddAdmin.py scriptFind the AddAdmin.py file within the cms installation directory, typically under the cms/ directory or a scripts/ subdirectory. Use 'find . -name AddAdmin.py' from the cms root directory.Affected if The AddAdmin.py script exists in the cms installation and was ever used to create admin accounts
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Find audit log filesIdentify the audit log directory for cms. Check configuration files (cms.conf or similar) for 'log' or 'audit' path settings. Common log locations include /var/log/cms/ or a logs/ subdirectory within the cms installation.Affected if Audit logs exist and are accessible at the configured or default log path
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Inspect logs for plaintext passwordsSearch the identified audit log files for patterns matching admin creation events. Use 'grep -i admin' or 'grep AddAdmin' on the log files. Look for any line containing 'password' followed by an actual password string rather than a hashed or masked value.Affected if Log entries show plaintext password strings in admin-related events (e.g., password=mysecretpass or 'password': 'plaintext')
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Check log file permissionsReview file permissions on the audit log directory and files. Use 'ls -la' on the log directory to see read permissions for non-admin users.Affected if Log files are readable by users other than the cms administrator (world-readable or readable by a broad group)
A user is affected if they run cms-dev/cms version 1.4 and their audit logs contain plaintext admin passwords from AddAdmin.py usage.
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 dataImplement proper password hashing for admin credentials before storage/logging and exclude sensitive authentication data from audit logs. Restrict access to log files to prevent unauthorized disclosure.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-24804 — 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-2020-24804 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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