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openssh — security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVAdvisory ID: DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062

The scp client in OpenSSH 8.2 incorrectly sends duplicate responses to the server upon a utimes system call failure, which allows a malicious unprivileged user on the remote server to overwrite arbitrary files in the client's download directory by creating a crafted subdirectory anywhere on the remote server. The victim must use the command scp -rp to download a file hierarchy containing, anywhere inside, this crafted subdirectory. NOTE: the vendor points out that "this attack can achieve no more than a hostile peer is already able to achieve within the scp protocol" and "utimes does not fail under normal circumstances.

Products
openssh
Affected versions
Not specified
Fixed versions
1:8.3p1-1
CVEs
CVE-2020-12062
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
1 Nov 2026, 13:00 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062

core-osv · Original source

Published 1 Jun 2020, 16:15 UTC

The scp client in OpenSSH 8.2 incorrectly sends duplicate responses to the server upon a utimes system call failure, which allows a malicious unprivileged user on the remote server to overwrite arbitrary files in the client's download directory by creating a crafted subdirectory anywhere on the remote server. The victim must use the command scp -rp to download a file hierarchy containing, anywhere inside, this crafted subdirectory. NOTE: the vendor points out that "this attack can achieve no more than a hostile peer is already able to achieve within the scp protocol" and "utimes does not fail under normal circumstances.

osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062

openssh

Fixed versions: 1:8.3p1-1

openssh

Fixed versions: 1:8.3p1-1

openssh

Fixed versions: 1:8.3p1-1

Complete source record
{
  "id": "052fa442abf164ed91f5ad15e249f7d0c0b057d414e6aec9ac0f36bf460fa865",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062",
    "summary": "The scp client in OpenSSH 8.2 incorrectly sends duplicate responses to the server upon a utimes system call failure, which allows a malicious unprivileged user on the remote server to overwrite arbitrary files in the client's download directory by creating a crafted subdirectory anywhere on the remote server. The victim must use the command scp -rp to download a file hierarchy containing, anywhere inside, this crafted subdirectory. NOTE: the vendor points out that \"this attack can achieve no more than a hostile peer is already able to achieve within the scp protocol\" and \"utimes does not fail under normal circumstances.",
    "evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "openssh",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "1:8.3p1-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "openssh",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "1:8.3p1-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "openssh",
          "evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "1:8.3p1-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "high",
    "structured": {
      "id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062",
      "aliases": [
        "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1:8.3p1-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "openssh",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/openssh?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:12"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1:8.3p1-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "openssh",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/openssh?arch=source&distro=trixie",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:13"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "1:8.3p1-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "openssh",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/openssh?arch=source&distro=forky",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:14"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12062.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "unimportant"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-26T12:01:25.819624453Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "upstream": [
        "CVE-2020-12062"
      ],
      "references": [
        "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-12062"
      ]
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2020-12062",
        "evidence": "/upstream"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 451659,
  "published_at": "2020-06-01T16:15:14.26+00:00"
}