IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS7.2
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2020-8260|Auth: high — administrative privileges|Reboot: required|Manual only

Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2020-8260)

Pulse Connect Secure contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows an authenticated attacker to perform code execution using uncontrolled gzip extraction.

Published Oct 28, 2020 · Updated May 17, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A remote attacker, with administrative privileges, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-05-03 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Unrestricted File Upload (CWE-434) vulnerability in Ivanti Pulse Connect Secure. A vulnerability in the Pulse Connect Secure < 9.1R9 admin web interface could allow an authenticated attacker to perform an arbitrary code execution using uncontrolled gzip extraction. Exploitation requires remote network access, low attack complexity, an administrative account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●Network Security Team
●Firewall Administrators
●IT Security
●Running connect secure: v ≤ 9.0, 9.1
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Active exploitation documented in the wild. Threat-research write-up: http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/160619/Pulse-Secure-VPN-Remote-Code-Execution.html

How to patch

Manual remediation steps

1
Identify affected hosts: query inventory for network-security installs in scope.
2
Apply the vendor security update referenced in CVE-2020-8260's advisory. No specific KB/version is encoded yet — consult the linked MSRC/vendor URL.
3
Verify the fix per the vendor's published verification steps.
4
Document the remediation in your change ticket and re-scan with your vulnerability scanner to confirm closure.
PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2020-8260↗ MSRC Advisory↗ NVD↗ Vendor Advisory