CVE-2020-12801: Crash-recovered MSOffice encrypted documents defaulted to not to using encryption on next save
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 21/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1.2% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 70.2% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
- Fixed version: libreoffice (Alpine:v3.15) 6.4.3.2-r0; libreoffice (Debian:10) 1:6.1.5-3+deb10u11; libreoffice (Debian:12) 1:6.4.3-1.
- Mentioned 1 time in Turkish national cyber security advisories (siberguvenlik.gov.tr).
Low priority for now. Upgrade to libreoffice (Alpine:v3.15) 6.4.3.2-r0; libreoffice (Debian:10) 1:6.1.5-3+deb10u11; libreoffice (Debian:12) 1:6.4.3-1 or later.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
If LibreOffice has an encrypted document open and crashes, that document is auto-saved encrypted. On restart, LibreOffice offers to restore the document and prompts for the password to decrypt it. If the recovery is successful, and if the file format of the recovered document was not LibreOffice's default ODF file format, then affected versions of LibreOffice default that subsequent saves of the document are unencrypted. This may lead to a user accidentally saving a MSOffice file format document unencrypted while believing it to be encrypted. This issue affects: LibreOffice 6-3 series versions prior to 6.3.6; 6-4 series versions prior to 6.4.3.
- Published
- May 18, 2020
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.2% · 70th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-311
Report tools
Action score
21
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 21 / 40 · 5.3 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 1.2%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- A fix has been released
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| libreoffice | libreoffice | cpe:2.3:a:libreoffice:libreoffice |
| opensuse | leap | cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- libreoffice libreoffice6.3.0 and later · before 6.3.6
- libreoffice libreoffice6.4.0 and later · before 6.4.3
- opensuse leap15.1
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Document Fdn.). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
The Document Foundation LibreOffice
- 6-3 series and later · before 6.3.6affected
- 6-4 series and later · before 6.4.3affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine:v3.15 | libreoffice | from 6.3.0 · before 6.4.3.2-r0 | 6.4.3.2-r0 |
| Debian:10 | libreoffice | before 1:6.1.5-3+deb10u11 | 1:6.1.5-3+deb10u11 |
| Debian:12 | libreoffice | before 1:6.4.3-1 | 1:6.4.3-1 |
| openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | libreoffice | before 6.4.4.2-lp151.3.15.1 | 6.4.4.2-lp151.3.15.1 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP4 | libreoffice | before 6.4.4.2-43.65.5 | 6.4.4.2-43.65.5 |
| SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP1 | libreoffice | before 6.4.4.2-8.19.4 | 6.4.4.2-8.19.4 |
Same product
libreoffice: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-9851LibreLogo global-event script execution62This week
- CVE-2018-16858It was found that libreoffice before versions 6.0.7 and 6.1.3 was vulnerable to a directory traversal attack which could be used to execute 60This week
- CVE-2018-10583An information disclosure vulnerability occurs when LibreOffice 6.0.3 and Apache OpenOffice Writer 4.1.5 automatically process and initiate 60This week
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2019-9853Sep 27, 2019 · Insufficient URL decoding flaw in categorizing macro location32Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2012-5639Dec 20, 2019 · LibreOffice and OpenOffice automatically open embedded content28Monitor
- Later →CVE-2020-12802Jun 8, 2020 · remote graphics contained in docx format retrieved in 'stealth mode'22Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| alpine:libreoffice | 6.4.3.2-r0 · Alpine:v3.15 | Package registry (OSV) |
| debian:libreoffice | 1:6.4.3-1 · Debian:12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| opensuse:libreoffice | 6.4.4.2-lp151.3.15.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.1 | Package registry (OSV) |
| suse:libreoffice | 6.4.4.2-8.19.4 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP1 | Package registry (OSV) |
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
National notice (Türkiye Cybersecurity Directorate / USOM)
Official security notices citing this record; remediation advice is on the agency's page.
- TR-20-413 · Jun 9, 2020(LibreOffice Güvenlik Güncellemesi Yayınladı)
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- low · data can be read
- Integrity
- none
- Availability
- none
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- Low
- Integrity impact
- None
- Availability impact
- None
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-311 · Missing Encryption of Sensitive DataCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Sniffing AttacksCAPEC-157Medium
- Sniffing Network TrafficCAPEC-158Medium
- Lifting Sensitive Data Embedded in CacheCAPEC-204Medium
- Accessing/Intercepting/Modifying HTTP CookiesCAPEC-31likelihood: High · High
- Retrieve Embedded Sensitive DataCAPEC-37likelihood: High · Very High
- Harvesting Information via API Event MonitoringCAPEC-383Low
- Application API Message Manipulation via Man-in-the-MiddleCAPEC-384Low
- Transaction or Event Tampering via Application API ManipulationCAPEC-385Medium
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →
References
Show all references (2 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.