CVE-2020-8240
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the Pulse Secure Desktop Client < 9.1R9 allows a restricted user on an endpoint machine can use system-level privileges if the Embedded Browser is configured with Credential Provider. This vulnerability only affects Windows PDC if the Embedded Browser is configured with the Credential Provider.
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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Pulse Secure Desktop Client for Windows. A restricted (low-privilege) user can gain SYSTEM-level privileges on the endpoint machine when the Embedded Browser is configured with Credential Provider. The vulnerability exists in versions prior to 9.1R9.
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= 9.1CVSS 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.
-
Confirm Pulse Secure Desktop Client is installedCheck the installed programs list in Windows Settings or review the program directory (typically C:\Program Files\Pulse Secure) to verify Pulse Secure Desktop Client is present on the system.Affected if Pulse Secure Desktop Client is not installed on the machine.
-
Identify the installed versionLocate the version information through the application's About dialog, or check the executable properties of the main Pulse Secure client binary (typically PulseSecure.exe) by right-clicking and viewing Details. Record the full version number.Affected if The installed version is 9.1 or any version prior to 9.1R9.
-
Verify Embedded Browser with Credential Provider is configuredExamine the Pulse Secure client configuration for the Embedded Browser feature with Credential Provider enabled. This is typically found in the client connection profiles or settings where browser-based authentication is configured. Look for settings that enable embedded browser functionality as part of the credential provider flow.Affected if The Embedded Browser with Credential Provider feature is actively configured or enabled in the Pulse Secure client settings.
-
Assess exposure based on version and configurationCross-reference the identified version against the affected range (versions prior to 9.1R9, including version 9.1) and confirm whether the vulnerable feature (Embedded Browser with Credential Provider) is in use.Affected if The installed version is in the affected range (below 9.1R9 or equal to 9.1) AND the Embedded Browser with Credential Provider feature is configured.
The environment is affected if Pulse Secure Desktop Client version is 9.1 or any version prior to 9.1R9 AND the Embedded Browser with Credential Provider feature is enabled in the client configuration.
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 data9.1
Upgrade Pulse Secure Desktop Client to version 9.1R9 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, verify that the Embedded Browser with Credential Provider feature is not in use, though upgrading is the definitive fix.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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 $1,664.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8240 — 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-2020-8240 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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