CVE-2020-10148 | SolarWinds Orion API is vulnerable to an authentication bypass that could allow a remote attacker to execute API commands

Exp

The SolarWinds Orion API is vulnerable to an authentication bypass that could allow a remote attacker to execute API commands. This vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to bypass authentication and execute API commands which may result in a compromise of the SolarWinds instance. SolarWinds Orion Platform versions 2019.4 HF 5, 2020.2 with no hotfix installed, and 2020.2 HF 1 are affected.

Published: 2020-12-29 Last update: 2025-10-24 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2020-10148 is rated Critical Active Threat (100/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 95.12%, 100th percentile). Core evidence: CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2021-11-03) affecting SolarWinds / Orion. a weakness (CWE-288) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. Mandatory action: The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2020-10148

Name: SolarWinds Orion Authentication Bypass Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2021-11-03

Action due: 2022-05-03

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-10148

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 94.30% 95.12% +0.81%
2 2025-11-21 94.07% 94.30% +0.23%
3 2025-11-18 94.07%

Full EPSS history (31 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-10148

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 5.9 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
7.5 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
10.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-10148

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-10148

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
solarwinds orion_platform 2019.4 cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:orion_platform:2019.4:hotfix5:*:*:*:*:*:*
solarwinds orion_platform 2020.2 cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:orion_platform:2020.2:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
solarwinds orion_platform 2020.2.1 cpe:2.3:a:solarwinds:orion_platform:2020.2.1:hotfix1:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-10148

URL Tags
https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/843464 Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
https://www.solarwinds.com/securityadvisory Vendor Advisory
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/843464 Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2020-10148 US Government Resource
cvelogic Threat Intelligence