CVE-2020-8644
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 · uneditedPlaySMS before 1.4.3 does not sanitize inputs from a malicious string.
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 confidencePlaySMS versions prior to 1.4.3 contain an input sanitization vulnerability allowing a malicious string to execute potentially arbitrary code or commands. The critical CVSS score of 9.8 indicates this is likely a remote code execution or severe injection flaw exploitable without authentication.
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< 1.4.3CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 PlaySMS installation existsLocate PlaySMS installation directories or check web server configurations for PlaySMS web application filesAffected if PlaySMS is not found on the system - not applicable
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Determine installed PlaySMS versionCheck version files, footer files, or admin interface for the current PlaySMS version numberAffected if Unable to retrieve version information - further investigation needed
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Compare version to affected rangeCompare your installed version number against the affected range: versions prior to 1.4.3 are vulnerableAffected if Installed version is less than 1.4.3 - environment is affected
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Confirm application is exposedVerify the PlaySMS web application is accessible and actively processing user inputAffected if Application is not running or not accessible - direct impact may be limited
Your environment is affected if PlaySMS is installed and the running version is earlier than 1.4.3, as these versions lack proper input sanitization for user-supplied data.
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 · scoped1.4.3
Upgrade to PlaySMS version 1.4.3 or later which includes proper input sanitization. Until patched, restrict network access to the PlaySMS interface.
1.4.3
- 1. Backup your current PlaySMS installation and database before making any changes
- 2. Download PlaySMS version 1.4.3 or later from the official source at playsms.org
- 3. Replace the existing PlaySMS files with the new version, preserving your configuration
- 4. Verify the upgrade by logging into the PlaySMS administrative interface
- 5. Test core functionality (sending/receiving SMS, user management) to confirm proper operation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8644 — 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-2020-8644 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