CVE-2020-12271
A SQL injection issue was found in SFOS 17.0, 17.1, 17.5, and 18.0 before 2020-04-25 on Sophos XG Firewall devices, as exploited in the wild in…
Browse: All 2020 CVEs · All vendors
- CVSS score
- 9.8 Critical
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- CISA KEV
- Yes — actively exploited (added 2021-11-03, remediation due 2022-05-03)
- Ransomware
- Known ransomware campaign use
- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-89
- Published
- 2020-04-27
- Last modified
- 2026-06-17
- NVD status
- Analyzed
Description
A SQL injection issue was found in SFOS 17.0, 17.1, 17.5, and 18.0 before 2020-04-25 on Sophos XG Firewall devices, as exploited in the wild in April 2020. This affected devices configured with either the administration (HTTPS) service or the User Portal exposed on the WAN zone. A successful attack may have caused remote code execution that exfiltrated usernames and hashed passwords for the local device admin(s), portal admins, and user accounts used for remote access (but not external Active Directory or LDAP passwords)
Affected products
- sophos sfos
Affected ranges per NVD CPE data; confirm exact versions in the vendor advisory.
Required action (CISA)
Apply updates per vendor instructions. Federal remediation deadline: 2022-05-03.
How to prioritize this
This vulnerability is on the CISA KEV list, meaning it is being actively exploited — treat it as urgent regardless of the raw CVSS number. Use the live CVE lookup for the latest NVD data, and the CVSS 3.1 calculator to model your own environmental score. For the actively exploited vulnerabilities that matter this week, read The Exploit HQ daily security brief.
References
- https://community.sophos.com/kb/en-us/135412
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/89.html
- https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/04/26/asnarok/
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-12271
FAQ
Is CVE-2020-12271 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2020-12271 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2021-11-03, with a federal remediation deadline of 2022-05-03. A KEV listing means real-world exploitation is confirmed, so patching this should be prioritized above many higher-CVSS bugs that aren't being exploited.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-12271?
CVE-2020-12271 has a CVSS base score of 9.8 (Critical). Its vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Related vulnerabilities
- CVE-2020-15069 — Sophos XG Firewall
- CVE-2020-29574 — Sophos CyberoamOS
- CVE-2023-1671 — Sophos Web Appliance
- CVE-2022-3236 — Sophos Firewall
- CVE-2022-1040 — Sophos Firewall
- CVE-2020-25223 — Sophos SG UTM
Data source: NVD & CISA KEV. Shown as-is; nothing added. Last generated from NVD data — re-check the live tool for updates.
kev brief
Patch what's actually being exploited.
Subscribe and get the KEV Patch Priority Playbook, free, in your inbox now.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Delivered by Beehiiv.