# CVE-2020-8497: Pandora FMS - Authentication Bypass

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2020-8497 by the CrowdSec Live Exploit Tracker, built from real-world attack data crowdsourced from CrowdSec's global network.

Page: https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2020-8497

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 5.3
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** Artica Pandora FMS
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-306 (Missing Authentication for Critical Function)
- **Tags:** enterprise_software, management_panel

## Description

In Artica Pandora FMS through 7.42, an unauthenticated attacker can read the chat history. The file is in JSON format and it contains user names, user IDs, private messages, and timestamps.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2020-8497](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2020-8497) is an authentication bypass vulnerability in Artica Pandora FMS through version 7.42, allowing unauthenticated attackers to access chat history files containing sensitive information such as user names, user IDs, private messages, and timestamps. This exposure could lead to privacy breaches and facilitate further social engineering attacks.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 8th of April 2026.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2020-8497 involves focused reconnaissance to identify viable targets. Attackers typically tailor their campaigns based on system exposure and configuration. It is unlikely that a given attack is accidental.
Telemetry from the CrowdSec network also shows that exploitation activity for CVE-2020-8497 remains steady week-over-week. Attack volumes are consistent with long-term trends, indicating sustained interest from threat actors. CVE-2020-8497 continues to be an active part of the threat landscape and will likely remain this way for the forseeable future.

Attackers exploit this vulnerability by sending requests to URLs containing `/pandora_console/attachment/pandora_chat.log.json.txt` to access sensitive chat history data stored in JSON format. This endpoint exposes user names, user IDs, private messages, and timestamps without authentication.

## Timeline

- 2020-03-23: CVE Published. CVE-2020-8497 is published to NVD.
- 2026-04-08: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2020-8497 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2026-04-08: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2020-8497 for the first time.

## References

- https://k4m1ll0.com/cve-2020-8497.html
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-8497.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2020-8497) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2020-8497. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.