CVE-2020-27351 | Various memory and file descriptor leaks in apt-python

Various memory and file descriptor leaks were found in apt-python files python/arfile.cc, python/tag.cc, python/tarfile.cc, aka GHSL-2020-170. This issue affects: python-apt 1.1.0~beta1 versions prior to 1.1.0~beta1ubuntu0.16.04.10; 1.6.5ubuntu0 versions prior to 1.6.5ubuntu0.4; 2.0.0ubuntu0 versions prior to 2.0.0ubuntu0.20.04.2; 2.1.3ubuntu1 versions prior to 2.1.3ubuntu1.1;

Published: 2020-12-09 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2020-27351 is rated Low Risk (19/100): CVSS Low severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.39%). Low composite risk—no urgent action required; patch on your normal maintenance cycle and revisit priority if CVSS or EPSS increases.

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

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2020-27351

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 0.05% 0.39% +0.34%
2 2025-03-17 0.05% 0.05% +0.01%
3 2023-03-07 — 0.05% —

Full EPSS history (7 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2020-27351

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
2.0 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 0.6 1.4 [email protected]
2.8 3.1 LOW
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:L)
Might cause slowdowns, glitches, or partial disruption—not a full brick.
 1.3 1.4 [email protected]
2.1 2.0 LOW
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 3.9 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2020-27351

OS Trackers for CVE-2020-27351

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2020-27351 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (python-apt), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-27351
ubuntu medium CVE-2020-27351 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (python-apt), 6 status rows across 6 suites (bionic, focal, groovy, trusty, upstream, xenial): released 5, needs-triage 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-27351

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2020-27351

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
debian advanced_package_tool >= 1.1.0\~beta1, < 1.1.0\~beta1ubuntu0.16.04.10 cpe:2.3:a:debian:advanced_package_tool:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian advanced_package_tool >= 1.6.5ubuntu0, < 1.6.5ubuntu0.4 cpe:2.3:a:debian:advanced_package_tool:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian advanced_package_tool >= 2.0.0ubuntu0, < 2.0.0ubuntu0.20.04.2 cpe:2.3:a:debian:advanced_package_tool:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian advanced_package_tool >= 2.1.3ubuntu1, < 2.1.30ubuntu1.1 cpe:2.3:a:debian:advanced_package_tool:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian advanced_package_tool < 1.8.4.2 cpe:2.3:a:debian:advanced_package_tool:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2020-27351

cvelogic Threat Intelligence