CVE-2020-14980Public exploitNetwork attack vector

TLS traffic interception via missing certificate validation

Published Jun 22, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper certificate validation in Sophos Secure Email 3.9.4 and earlier for Android allows man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept TLS traffic. The application's TLS connection path accepts a server certificate without performing the required trust validation, allowing an attacker-controlled endpoint to impersonate the mail server. Exploitation requires control of the network path and a forged certificate; the published assessment limits the reported impact to confidentiality.

CVSS severity5.9
Medium
EPSS probability1.16%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper certificate validation in Sophos Secure Email 3.9.4 and earlier for Android allows man-in-the-middle attackers to intercept TLS traffic. The application's TLS connection path accepts a server certificate without performing the required trust validation, allowing an attacker-controlled endpoint to impersonate the mail server. Exploitation requires control of the network path and a forged certificate; the published assessment limits the reported impact to confidentiality.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-14980
Published
Jun 22, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-295, T1638
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 22, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

4.3NIST NVDAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
5.9NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-295Improper Certificate Validation
T1638Adversary-in-the-Middle

Public exploit references

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

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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