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CVE-2020-8220: A denial of service vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure <9.1R8 that allows an authenticated attacker

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MEDIUM 6.5DOWNGRADEUPGRADEDOWNGRADE

CVE-2020-8220 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.5) affecting connect secure, pulse connect secure, policy secure. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A denial of service vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure <9.1R8 that allows an authenticated attacker to perform command injection via the administrator web which can cause DOS.

Why this priority

  • No elevated risk signals yet

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score6.5 (Medium)
Attack vectorNetwork (remote)
Attack complexityLow
Privileges neededHigh
User interactionNone
EPSS exploit chance2.5% (top 16%)
CISA exploited listNo
WeaknessCWE-400
Published2020-07-30
Last modified2026-06-17
Publisher (CNA): HackerOne · Vendor: ivanti · pulsesecure

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

ivanti connect secure DOWNGRADE
Affected: 9.1 · 9.1 r1 · 9.1 r2 · 9.1 r3 · 9.1 r4 · 9.1 r4.1 · 9.1 r4.2 · 9.1 r4.3
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 9.1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy connect-secure || rpm -q connect-secure || connect-secure --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 9.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison connect-secure sudo apt install connect-secure=<VERSION_BEFORE_9.1> sudo apt-mark hold connect-secure
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list connect-secure sudo dnf downgrade connect-secure-<VERSION_BEFORE_9.1> sudo dnf versionlock add connect-secure
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.
pulsesecure pulse connect secure UPGRADE
Affected: <= 9.0
Fixed in: newer than 9.0
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy pulse-connect-secure || rpm -q pulse-connect-secure || pulse-connect-secure --version
2. UPGRADE to newer than 9.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade pulse-connect-secure
2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
sudo dnf upgrade pulse-connect-secure
Note
Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.
ivanti policy secure DOWNGRADE
Affected: 9.1 · 9.1 r1 · 9.1 r2 · 9.1 r3 · 9.1 r3.1 · 9.1 r4 · 9.1 r4.1 · 9.1 r4.2
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: a release before 9.1
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy policy-secure || rpm -q policy-secure || policy-secure --version
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 9.1 (Debian / Ubuntu)
apt-cache madison policy-secure sudo apt install policy-secure=<VERSION_BEFORE_9.1> sudo apt-mark hold policy-secure
2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
dnf --showduplicates list policy-secure sudo dnf downgrade policy-secure-<VERSION_BEFORE_9.1> sudo dnf versionlock add policy-secure
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.
pulsesecure pulse policy secure UPGRADE
Affected: <= 9.0
Fixed in: newer than 9.0
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
1. Check installed version
apt-cache policy pulse-policy-secure || rpm -q pulse-policy-secure || pulse-policy-secure --version
2. UPGRADE to newer than 9.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade pulse-policy-secure
2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)
sudo dnf upgrade pulse-policy-secure
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-2020-8220?

connect secure: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; pulse connect secure: upgrade to newer than 9.0; policy secure: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2020-8220 being exploited?

CVE-2020-8220 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-2020-8220 affect?

CVE-2020-8220 affects connect secure, pulse connect secure, policy secure. Severity is medium (CVSS 6.5). A denial of service vulnerability exists in Pulse Connect Secure <9.1R8 that allows an authenticated attacker to perform command injection via the administrator web which can cause DOS.

How urgent is CVE-2020-8220?

Priority 44/100. No elevated risk signals yet.

Software pages

Ivanti vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

References

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