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CVE-2018-20685

21
FAUCET Score

CVE-2018-20685 describes a vulnerability in OpenSSH 7.9's scp client, allowing a malicious SSH server to bypass intended access restrictions by manipulating filenames (e.g., using "." or an empty string). This flaw primarily impacts the client side by enabling unauthorized modification of target directory permissions. Rated as Medium severity (CVSS 5.3), exploitation requires user interaction and a high attack complexity, but can lead to high integrity impact. There is no evidence of active exploitation, publicly available exploit code, or significant community discussion surrounding this vulnerability.

Impacted Technologies

VendorProductVersion(s)CPE
<= 7.9CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:openbsd:openssh:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
<= 5.13CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:winscp:winscp:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:cloud_backup:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:element_software:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Range not provided by sourceCPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:ontap_select_deploy:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

CVSS Data

CVSS version used by this source: 3.1

5.3MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
HIGH
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
REQUIRED
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
NONE
Integrity Impact
HIGH
Availability Impact
NONE
Exploitability Score
1.6
Impact Score
3.6
CvssVersion
3.1

Exploit Intelligence

EPSS Score
3.68%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
EPSS Percentile
88.5%
Percentile rank of EPSS score among Peer Group
As of 2026-07-26
Model: v2026.06.15
This CVE's current EPSS score of 0.0368 is in the 91st percentile among its peer group of 705 CVEs.

Social Chatter

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.0 Reddit, 0.2 Bluesky, 0.0 Mastodon, and 0.2 GitHub mentions.

Media Mentions

No media coverage found for this CVE.

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.2 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.

Remediation

Patch Available

Vendor Patches (4)

github_advisorypatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
oraclepatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8Fixed in: openssh-0:8.0p1-3.el8
View patch
redhatend of lifevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Fixed in: openssh

Vendor Advisories (1)

redhatCVE-2018-20685Moderate

openssh: scp client improper directory name validation

Nov 16, 2018

References

access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2019:3702
Third Party Advisory
cert-portal.siemens.com / productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdf
PatchThird Party Advisory
cvsweb.openbsd.org / cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/scp.c.diff
Patch
github.com / openssh/openssh-portable/commit/6010c0303a422a9c5fa8860c061bf7105eb7f8b2
Patch
lists.debian.org / debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00030.html
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
security.gentoo.org / glsa/201903-16
Third Party Advisory
security.gentoo.org / glsa/202007-53
Third Party Advisory
security.netapp.com / advisory/ntap-20190215-0001
Third Party Advisory
sintonen.fi / advisories/scp-client-multiple-vulnerabilities.txt
PatchThird Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3885-1
Third Party Advisory
debian.org / security/2019/dsa-4387
Third Party Advisory
oracle.com / technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html
PatchThird Party Advisory
oracle.com / technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html
PatchThird Party Advisory
securityfocus.com / bid/106531
Broken Link