CVE-2020-14871 — Oracle Solaris and Zettabyte File System (ZFS) Unspecified Vulnerability
Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Pluggable authentication module). Supported versions that are affected are 10 and 11. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle Solaris. While the vulnerability is in Oracle Solaris, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle Solaris. Note: This CVE is not exploitable for Solaris 11.1 and later releases, and ZFSSA 8.7 and later releases, thus the CVSS Base Score is 0.0. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 10.0 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- Public exploit/PoC (metasploit, exploitdb)+20
- EPSS 80.2% (30-day exploitation probability)+15
- Technical severity (critical)+10
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — www.openwall.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
CISA required action CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal deadline: May 3, 2022 — passed 1626 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Oracle Solaris, Oracle Solaris Operating System).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (memory corruption), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle | Solaris | ≥ 10 and < 11.1version 9 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Oracle | Solaris Operating System | version 10version 11 | Vulnerable | CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | 3.9 | 6.0 | secalert_us@oracle.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 10.0 | CVSS 3.1 | Critical | — | — | oracle via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 10.0 | CVSS 2.0 | High | 10.0 | 10.0 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: secalert_us@oracle.com) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates
Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.
- Oracle Solaris SunSSH PAM parse_user_name() Buffer Overflow normal Oct 20, 2020
- Solaris SunSSH 11.0 x86 - libpam Remote Root Dec 15, 2020
- Solaris SunSSH 11.0 x86 - libpam Remote Root (2) May 21, 2021
- Solaris SunSSH 11.0 x86 - libpam Remote Root (3) Jun 21, 2021
Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 80.16%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
- Correlate service crashes/restarts with inbound traffic; repeated crashes may indicate attempts.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before Nov 3, 2021 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- Affected products added · oracle corporation/solaris operating system
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · oracle/solaris
- CVSS changed · 10.0
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2021
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- 2020
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
10 on the record
- www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/07/03/3
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/159961/SunSSH-Solaris-10-x86-Remote-Root.html
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14871
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-7pcp-8fjh-246q
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/163232/Solaris-SunSSH-11.0-Remote-Root.html
- www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/03/1
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/160609/Oracle-Solaris-SunSSH-PAM-parse_user_name-Buffer-Overflo
- packetstormsecurity.com/files/160510/Solaris-SunSSH-11.0-x86-libpam-Remote-Root.html
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Critical CVE-2026-46978 Improper Access Control in Oracle Solaris Jun 17, 2026
- High CVE-2026-46914 Improper Privilege Management in Oracle Solaris Jun 17, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-34281 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Oracle Solaris Apr 21, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-21942 Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in Oracle Solaris Jan 20, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-21935 Vulnerability in the Oracle Solaris product of Oracle Systems (component: Driver). The… Jan 20, 2026
- Medium CVE-2026-21928 Exposure of Sensitive Information in Oracle Solaris Jan 20, 2026
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2020-14871 is "Oracle Solaris and Zettabyte File System (ZFS) Unspecified Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Solaris (Oracle); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 10.0 describes technical severity. EPSS 80.16% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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