CVE-2020-8838Public exploit

SYSTEM code execution via unvalidated agent upgrade

Published Mar 23, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Improper upgrade validation in Zoho ManageEngine AssetExplorer 6.5 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute code as SYSTEM. The Windows agent's agentcontroller.exe downloads ManageEngineAssetExplorerAgent.msi over unauthenticated HTTP and passes it to MsiExec without validating its source or integrity. An attacker positioned on the agent's local network can forge the upgrade authorization response and substitute an arbitrary MSI, which executes with NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM privileges.

CVSS severity6.4
Medium
EPSS probability1.56%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper upgrade validation in Zoho ManageEngine AssetExplorer 6.5 allows man-in-the-middle attackers to execute code as SYSTEM. The Windows agent's agentcontroller.exe downloads ManageEngineAssetExplorerAgent.msi over unauthenticated HTTP and passes it to MsiExec without validating its source or integrity. An attacker positioned on the agent's local network can forge the upgrade authorization response and substitute an arbitrary MSI, which executes with NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM privileges.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-8838
Published
Mar 23, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-354, T1557.002
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
Unavailable

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 23, 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 vectoradjacent
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.4NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.9NIST NVDAV:A/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P

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)
Vectoradjacent
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-354Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value
T1557.002ARP Cache Poisoning

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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