CVE-2020-25223Known exploitationPublic exploitNetwork attack vector

Unauthenticated root execution via session-ID command injection

Published Sep 25, 2020 · Updated Oct 21, 2025

Command injection in Sophos UTM WebAdmin allows remote attackers to execute root commands via crafted session identifiers. The /var route bypasses the webadmin.plx input filter and forwards an unchecked SID to confd session retrieval, where Perl's two-argument open interprets pipe characters as commands. Exploitation requires network access to WebAdmin but no credentials or user interaction, granting root execution on the appliance.

CVSS severity9.8
Critical
EPSS probability96.75%
Next 30 days · Nov 1, 2026
Known exploitationReported
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Contact us

Summary

What happened

Command injection in Sophos UTM WebAdmin allows remote attackers to execute root commands via crafted session identifiers. The /var route bypasses the webadmin.plx input filter and forwards an unchecked SID to confd session retrieval, where Perl's two-argument open interprets pipe characters as commands. Exploitation requires network access to WebAdmin but no credentials or user interaction, granting root execution on the appliance.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-25223
Published
Sep 25, 2020
Updated
Oct 21, 2025
Vendor
Sophos
Product
Sophos UTM
Classifications
CWE-78, T1190, T1059.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Sep 25, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 21, 2025Record 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=n/a

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

Sophos · Sophos UTMversion=n/a

Published CVSS scores

9.8CISA-ADPCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
9.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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.

Activity data is delayed. The latest report is Sep 28, 2026.

Daily unique IPsShadowserver observations through Sep 28, 2026. Gaps indicate unavailable data.
Sep 22, 2026Sep 28, 2026
View daily counts
Reporting dayUnique IPs
Sep 22, 2026Unavailable
Sep 23, 2026Unavailable
Sep 24, 2026Unavailable
Sep 25, 20262
Sep 26, 20262
Sep 27, 20268
Sep 28, 20265
Latest reporting daySep 28, 2026
Latest daily unique IPs5
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationReported
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-78Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
T1190Exploit Public-Facing Application
T1059.004Unix Shell

Public exploit references

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

Reported exploitation

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Get started to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Contact us