CVE-2020-17381: An issue was discovered in Ghisler Total Commander 9.51

Routine

HIGH 7.3DOWNGRADE

CVE-2020-17381 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 7.3) affecting total commander. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in Ghisler Total Commander 9.51. Due to insufficient access restrictions in the default installation directory, an attacker can elevate privileges by replacing the %SYSTEMDRIVE%\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE binary.

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

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

Risk facts

CVSS score	7.3 (High)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	0.4% (top 66%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-276
Published	2020-10-21
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: ghisler

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2020-10-21 19:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 02:58 UTCUpdated Record last modified

ghisler total commander DOWNGRADE

Affected: 9.51

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 9.51

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy total-commander || rpm -q total-commander || total-commander --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 9.51 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison total-commander sudo apt install total-commander=<VERSION_BEFORE_9.51> sudo apt-mark hold total-commander

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list total-commander sudo dnf downgrade total-commander-<VERSION_BEFORE_9.51> sudo dnf versionlock add total-commander

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

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-2020-17381?

total commander: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-17381 being exploited?

CVE-2020-17381 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-2020-17381 affect?

CVE-2020-17381 affects total commander. Severity is high (CVSS 7.3). An issue was discovered in Ghisler Total Commander 9.51. Due to insufficient access restrictions in the default installation directory, an attacker can elevate privileges by replacing the %SYSTEMDRIVE%\totalcmd\TOTALCMD64.EXE binary.

How urgent is CVE-2020-17381?

Priority 39/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

References

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