CVE-2020-15480: An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest through 9.1, OSForensics through 7.1, and PerformanceTest throu

Q: How do I fix CVE-2020-15480?

burnintest: upgrade to newer than 9.1; osforensics: upgrade to newer than 7.1; performancetest: upgrade to newer than 10.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2020-15480 being exploited?

CVE-2020-15480 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

Q: What does CVE-2020-15480 affect?

CVE-2020-15480 affects burnintest, osforensics, performancetest. Severity is high (CVSS 8.8). An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest through 9.1, OSForensics through 7.1, and PerformanceTest through 10. The kernel driver exposes IOCTL functionality that allows low-privilege users to read and write to arbitrary Model Specific

Q: How urgent is CVE-2020-15480?

Priority 48/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

This month

HIGH 8.8UPGRADEUPGRADEUPGRADE

CVE-2020-15480 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 8.8) affecting burnintest, osforensics, performancetest. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest through 9.1, OSForensics through 7.1, and PerformanceTest through 10. The kernel driver exposes IOCTL functionality that allows low-privilege users to read and write to arbitrary Model Specific Registers (MSRs). This could lead to arbitrary Ring-0 code execution and escalation of privileges. This affects DirectIo32.sys and DirectIo64.sys.

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	8.8 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	0.6% (top 50%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2020-08-07
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: passmark

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-08-07 21:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:56 UTCUpdated Record last modified

passmark burnintest UPGRADE

Affected: <= 9.1

Fixed in: newer than 9.1

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy burnintest || rpm -q burnintest || burnintest --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 9.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade burnintest

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade burnintest

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

passmark osforensics UPGRADE

Affected: <= 7.1

Fixed in: newer than 7.1

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy osforensics || rpm -q osforensics || osforensics --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 7.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade osforensics

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade osforensics

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

passmark performancetest UPGRADE

Affected: <= 10.0

Fixed in: newer than 10.0

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy performancetest || rpm -q performancetest || performancetest --version

2. UPGRADE to newer than 10.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade performancetest

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade performancetest

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2020-15480?

burnintest: upgrade to newer than 9.1; osforensics: upgrade to newer than 7.1; performancetest: upgrade to newer than 10.0. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-15480 being exploited?

CVE-2020-15480 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2020-15480 affect?

CVE-2020-15480 affects burnintest, osforensics, performancetest. Severity is high (CVSS 8.8). An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest through 9.1, OSForensics through 7.1, and PerformanceTest through 10. The kernel driver exposes IOCTL functionality that allows low-privilege users to read and write to arbitrary Model Specific

How urgent is CVE-2020-15480?

Priority 48/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2020-15481 HIGH 7.8 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest v9.1 Build 1008, OSForensics v7.1 Build 1012, and PerformanceTe
CVE-2020-15479 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE UPGRADE An issue was discovered in PassMark BurnInTest through 9.1, OSForensics through 7.1, and PerformanceTest throu

References

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