CVE-2020-8193 Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC), Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance: login or permission bypass
In plain words: A door that should be locked is not: part of the system can be reached without a valid login or permission. The attacker gets in as a user or administrator without knowing a password.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline May 3, 2022
What to do
- Install Citrix's security update for Application Delivery Controller (ADC), Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
- Never expose the device's admin page to the internet.
- After patching a device that was exposed, follow the vendor's compromise checks, end active sessions and change passwords.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: They face the internet and guard the whole network, so a flaw here can hand attackers a way in — and these devices usually run no antivirus, so break-ins go unnoticed.
The details
- Official name
- Citrix ADC, Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance Authorization Bypass Vulnerability
- Product
- Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC), Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance
- CISA description
- Citrix ADC, Citrix Gateway, and multiple Citrix SD-WAN WANOP appliance models contain an authorization bypass vulnerability that may allow unauthenticated access to certain URL endpoints. The attacker must have access to the NetScaler IP (NSIP) in order to perform exploitation.
- Type of flaw
- Login or permission bypass (CWE-284)
- Confirmed exploited
- Nov 3, 2021
- US federal patch deadline
- May 3, 2022
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Answering about CVE-2020-8193 ·
Questions about CVE-2020-8193
Is CVE-2020-8193 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2020-8193 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 3, 2021, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2020-8193?
Install Citrix's security update for Application Delivery Controller (ADC), Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Patch edge devices first — attackers often start scanning for them within hours of a fix.
Am I affected by CVE-2020-8193?
Only if you use Citrix Application Delivery Controller (ADC), Gateway, and SD-WAN WANOP Appliance. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.