CVE-2020-8243
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 Connect Secure < 9.1R8.2 admin web interface could allow an authenticated attacker to upload custom template to perform an arbitrary code execution.
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 confidenceAn authenticated attacker with admin access to the Pulse Connect Secure web interface (versions prior to 9.1R8.2) can upload malicious custom templates that enable arbitrary code execution on the underlying system.
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<= 9.0= 9.1<= 9.0= 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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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Identify the product and installed versionAccess the admin web interface and navigate to System > Status or use the CLI command 'show version' to display the installed software version.Affected if The installed version is 9.0 or earlier, or is 9.1 (any release within 9.1), indicating it is prior to the fixed version 9.1R8.2.
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Verify admin web interface accessibilityConfirm whether the administrative web interface (typically on port 443/4433) is exposed to untrusted networks or the internet by reviewing network firewall rules or external access configurations.Affected if The admin interface is accessible from untrusted networks, increasing the likelihood of exploitation by external attackers.
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Review existing custom templatesNavigate to the template management section of the admin interface (typically under User > Customization or System > Template Files) and list any uploaded custom template files.Affected if Unknown or untrusted custom templates are present, as these could be malicious templates uploaded by an attacker.
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Check for signs of template upload activityReview system logs or audit logs for events related to template uploads, file imports, or custom template modifications, particularly those initiated by admin accounts.Affected if Recent template upload or modification events are present that were not initiated by legitimate administrators.
The environment is affected if the installed version is 9.0 or earlier, or is any 9.1.x version prior to 9.1R8.2, and the admin web interface is accessible to untrusted users.
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 · scopedUpgrade to Pulse Connect Secure 9.1R8.2 or later to remediate this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not feasible, restrict administrative web interface access to trusted IP addresses and VPN users only.
9.1R8.2 or later
- Upgrade Pulse Connect Secure to version 9.1R8.2 or later
- Upgrade Pulse Policy Secure to version 9.1R8.2 or later
- After upgrade, verify the admin web interface is accessible and functioning normally
- Confirm the arbitrary code execution vulnerability is remediated by reviewing system logs
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8243 — 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-2020-8243 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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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