CVE-2020-11931

Local audio capture via unmediated module unloading

Published May 15, 2020 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

Improper access control in Canonical PulseAudio on affected Ubuntu releases allows local users to record audio through a confined snap. Ubuntu's snap policy module does not mediate PulseAudio module-unload requests, so a snap with audio-playback access can unload the policy module. A locally installed attacker-controlled snap with pulseaudio, audio-playback, or audio-record access is required; exploitation bypasses Snap audio-recording restrictions without changing or interrupting the service.

CVSS severity3.3
Low
EPSS probability0.33%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Improper access control in Canonical PulseAudio on affected Ubuntu releases allows local users to record audio through a confined snap. Ubuntu's snap policy module does not mediate PulseAudio module-unload requests, so a snap with audio-playback access can unload the policy module. A locally installed attacker-controlled snap with pulseaudio, audio-playback, or audio-record access is required; exploitation bypasses Snap audio-recording restrictions without changing or interrupting the service.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-11931
Published
May 15, 2020
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
Canonical
Product
PulseAudio
Classifications
CWE-668, CWE-284, T1562.001, T1123
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 15, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=1:11.1 <1:11.1-1ubuntu7.7
  2. Affected versionversion=1:13.0 <1:13.0-1ubuntu1.2
  3. Affected versionversion=1:13.99.1 <1:13.99.1-1ubuntu3.2
  4. Affected versionversion=1:8.0 <1:8.0-0ubuntu3.12

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Canonical · PulseAudioversion=1:11.1 <1:11.1-1ubuntu7.7; version=1:13.0 <1:13.0-1ubuntu1.2; version=1:13.99.1 <1:13.99.1-1ubuntu3.2; version=1:8.0 <1:8.0-0ubuntu3.12

Published CVSS scores

3.3CanonicalCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-668Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
CWE-284Improper Access Control
T1562.001Impair Defenses: Disable or Modify Tools
T1123Audio Capture

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo