CVE-2020-9046
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 all versions of Kantech EntraPass Editions could potentially allow an authorized low-privileged user to gain full system-level privileges by replacing critical files with specifically crafted files.
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 confidenceKantech EntraPass access control software contains a local privilege escalation vulnerability where an authorized low-privileged user can replace critical system files with maliciously crafted files, achieving full system-level privileges. This appears to stem from improper file permission controls allowing file write access to sensitive executables or configurations.
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<= 8.22CVSS 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 EntraPass installationCheck if Kantech EntraPass software is installed on the system. Look for EntraPass in installed programs or common installation directories.Affected if EntraPass is installed on the system
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Check installed versionIdentify the installed version of Kantech EntraPass. Compare against the affected range of <= 8.22.Affected if Installed version is 8.22 or lower
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Inspect file permissions on EntraPass binariesExamine file system permissions on EntraPass executable files. Verify if non-privileged users have write access to critical .exe or .dll files in the EntraPass installation directory.Affected if Low-privileged users can write to EntraPass executable files
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Inspect file permissions on configuration filesExamine file system permissions on EntraPass configuration and data files. Check if write access is improperly granted to standard users.Affected if Low-privileged users can write to EntraPass configuration or sensitive data files
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Identify unauthorized file modification pointsLocate critical system or application files within the EntraPass directory tree that are world-writable or writable by non-admin users.Affected if Critical EntraPass files are writable by non-administrator accounts
A system is affected if EntraPass version 8.22 or lower is installed AND low-privileged users have write access to EntraPass executables or configuration files.
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 strict file system permissions on critical EntraPass binaries and configuration files to prevent low-privileged users from modifying them; restrict write access to authorized administrators only. Consider applying any available vendor patches for EntraPass and reviewing the privilege model.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation12.0 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 $8,608.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9046 — 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-2020-9046 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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