CVE-2020-36246
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 · uneditedAmaze File Manager before 3.5.1 allows attackers to obtain root privileges via shell metacharacters in a symbolic link.
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 confidenceAmaze File Manager before version 3.5.1 contains a vulnerability that allows local attackers to escalate privileges to root by exploiting shell metacharacters within symbolic links. The vulnerability stems from improper sanitization of symbolic link targets, enabling command injection when the application processes the link.
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< 3.5.1CVSS 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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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Verify Amaze File Manager is installedCheck for the app on the device. On Android, go to Settings > Apps or check /data/app/ for the package name (typically com.amaze.filemanager). On Linux systems, check if the package is installed via package manager (dpkg -l | grep amaze or rpm -qa | grep amaze).Affected if The application is found installed on the device/system
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Retrieve the installed version numberOn Android, open the Play Store app listing, check app info in Settings > Apps > Amaze File Manager > Version, or use ADB: adb shell dumpsys package com.amaze.filemanager | grep versionName. On Linux, run: dpkg -s amaze-file-manager or check the RPM metadata.Affected if A version number is returned that can be compared against 3.5.1
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Compare installed version against vulnerable rangeParse the version number obtained and compare it to 3.5.1 using semantic versioning. Any version lower than 3.5.1 (including 3.5.0, 3.4.0, 3.3.0, etc.) is considered vulnerable.Affected if Installed version is less than 3.5.1 (for example, 3.5.0, 3.4.2, 3.3.1, etc.)
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Verify symbolic link processing capabilityThe vulnerability exploits symbolic link handling. Confirm the app has permissions to create or modify symbolic links on the filesystem. On Android, check if the app holds READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE and WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permissions, or on rooted devices, check /data/data/com.amaze.filemanager/ for accessible directories.Affected if The app has filesystem access permissions and can create or follow symbolic links
The device is affected if Amaze File Manager version is installed and the version is lower than 3.5.1, combined with the app having filesystem/symlink access capabilities.
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 data3.5.1
Upgrade Amaze File Manager to version 3.5.1 or later. Organizations should review deployed instances of this application on managed devices and ensure automatic updates are enabled or push the patched version through their mobile device management (MDM) infrastructure.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-36246 — 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-2020-36246 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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