CVE-2020-16259: Winston 1.5.4 devices have an SSH user account with access from bastion hosts

This week

CRITICAL 9.8REMOTEMITIGATE

CVE-2020-16259 is a critical-severity flaw (CVSS 9.8) affecting winston firmware. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

Winston 1.5.4 devices have an SSH user account with access from bastion hosts. This is undocumented in device documents and is not announced to the user.

Why this priority

Critical severity
Public exploit reference
Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	9.8 (Critical)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	1.8% (top 22%)
CISA exploited list	No
Published	2020-10-28
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: winstonprivacy

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-10-28 18:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:57 UTCUpdated Record last modified

winstonprivacy winston firmware MITIGATE

Affected: 1.5.4

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 1.5.4

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

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-2020-16259?

winston firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-16259 being exploited?

CVE-2020-16259 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-2020-16259 affect?

CVE-2020-16259 affects winston firmware. Severity is critical (CVSS 9.8). Winston 1.5.4 devices have an SSH user account with access from bastion hosts. This is undocumented in device documents and is not announced to the user.

How urgent is CVE-2020-16259?

Priority 64/100. Critical severity; Public exploit reference; Remotely exploitable, no login, no user action

Related CVEs

CVE-2020-16263 CRITICAL 9.1 MITIGATE Winston 1.5.4 devices have a CORS configuration that trusts arbitrary origins
CVE-2020-16262 HIGH 7.8 MITIGATE Winston 1.5.4 devices have a local www-data user that is overly permissioned, resulting in root privilege esca
CVE-2020-16261 MEDIUM 6.8 MITIGATE Winston 1.5.4 devices allow a U-Boot interrupt, resulting in local root access.
CVE-2020-16260 HIGH 7.5 MITIGATE Winston 1.5.4 devices do not enforce authorization
CVE-2020-16258 HIGH 7.1 MITIGATE Winston 1.5.4 devices make use of a Monit service (not managed during the normal user process) which is config

References

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