Is CVE-2018-20685 actively exploited?

CVE-2018-20685 has no public evidence of in-the-wild exploitation as of 2025-12-17.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2018-20685?

CVE-2018-20685 has a CVSS score of 5.3 (MEDIUM severity). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.

How do I patch CVE-2018-20685?

Patch guidance is available from openbsd security advisories. CVEDatabase generates AI-assisted remediation guidance on demand for CVE-2018-20685.

CVE-2018-20685 - remediation guidance & executive summary

Q: Which products are affected by CVE-2018-20685?

41 products: openbsd openssh, winscp winscp, netapp cloud backup, netapp element software, netapp ontap select deploy, and 36 more.

Description

In OpenSSH 7.9, scp.c in the scp client allows remote SSH servers to bypass intended access restrictions via the filename of . or an empty filename. The impact is modifying the permissions of the target directory on the client side.

CVSS Metrics

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Attack Vector: network
Complexity: high
Privileges: none
User Action: required
Scope: unchanged
Confidentiality: none
Integrity: high
Availability: none
Weaknesses: CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization CWE-863 · Incorrect Authorization

Metadata

Primary Vendor: OPENBSD
Published: 1/10/2019
Last Modified: 12/17/2025
Source: NIST NVD
Note: Verify all details with official vendor sources before applying patches.

Affected Products

openbsd : opensshwinscp : winscpnetapp : cloud_backupnetapp : element_softwarenetapp : ontap_select_deploynetapp : steelstore_cloud_integrated_storagenetapp : storage_automation_storedebian : debian_linuxdebian : debian_linuxcanonical : ubuntu_linuxcanonical : ubuntu_linuxcanonical : ubuntu_linuxcanonical : ubuntu_linuxredhat : enterprise_linuxredhat : enterprise_linuxredhat : enterprise_linux_eusredhat : enterprise_linux_eusredhat : enterprise_linux_eusredhat : enterprise_linux_eusredhat : enterprise_linux_server_ausredhat : enterprise_linux_server_ausredhat : enterprise_linux_server_ausredhat : enterprise_linux_server_tusredhat : enterprise_linux_server_tusredhat : enterprise_linux_server_tusoracle : solarisfujitsu : m10-1_firmwarefujitsu : m10-4_firmwarefujitsu : m10-4s_firmwarefujitsu : m12-1_firmwarefujitsu : m12-2_firmwarefujitsu : m12-2s_firmwarefujitsu : m10-1_firmwarefujitsu : m10-4_firmwarefujitsu : m10-4s_firmwarefujitsu : m10-4s_firmwarefujitsu : m12-1_firmwarefujitsu : m12-2_firmwarefujitsu : m12-2s_firmwaresiemens : scalance_x204rna_firmwaresiemens : scalance_x204rna_eec_firmware

Remediation Guidance

Executive Summary

Cite this page

CVE-2018-20685. CVEDatabase.com. Retrieved 1 May 2026. https://cvedatabase.com/cve/CVE-2018-20685

View on NIST NVD

CVE-2018-20685 vulnerability