# CVE-2020-8657: EyesOfNetwork - Information Disclosure

> Live exploitation tracking for CVE-2020-8657 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-2020-8657

## Key facts

- **Exploitation phase:** Limited Exploitation. The vulnerability is known but shows very limited attacker interest or exploitation activity.
- **CVSS score:** 9.8
- **Public exploit available:** Yes
- **Affected products:** EyesOfNetwork
- **Weaknesses:** CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)
- **Tags:** web_application

## Description

An issue was discovered in EyesOfNetwork 5.3. The installation uses the same API key (hardcoded as EONAPI_KEY in include/api_functions.php for API version 2.4.2) by default for all installations, hence allowing an attacker to calculate/guess the admin access token.

## CrowdSec analysis

[CVE-2020-8657](https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/CVE-2020-8657) is a critical vulnerability in EyesOfNetwork 5.3 where a hardcoded API key is used across all installations, making it trivial for attackers to guess or calculate the admin access token. This flaw enables remote attackers to gain unauthorized administrative access, potentially leading to full system compromise.

CrowdSec has been tracking this vulnerability and its exploits since 15th of October 2025.

CrowdSec network observations suggest that most exploitation of CVE-2020-8657 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.
CrowdSec network telemetry also shows that exploitation of CVE-2020-8657 has significantly declined over the past week. Attack volumes are well below the long-term average, suggesting attackers are rapidly losing interest. The vulnerability appears to be falling out of active use across most threat landscapes.

Attackers exploit the EyesOfNetwork API by sending POST requests to `/eonapi/createEonUser` with a hardcoded or predictable `apiKey` parameter, allowing unauthorized creation of administrative users.

## Timeline

- 2020-02-06: CVE Published. CVE-2020-8657 is published to NVD.
- 2021-11-03: CISA KEV. CVE-2020-8657 is added to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog by CISA.
- 2022-05-03: CISA Remediation Deadline. Expiration of the CISA remediation deadline as described in [BOD 22-01](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/directives/bod-22-01-reducing-significant-risk-known-exploited-vulnerabilities).
- 2025-10-15: Rule Released. CrowdSec releases a rule to detect CVE-2020-8657 exploitation attempts against the CrowdSec Network.
- 2025-10-16: CrowdSec First Seen. CrowdSec observes in-the-wild exploitation of CVE-2020-8657 for the first time.

## References

- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/156605/EyesOfNetwork-AutoDiscovery-Target-Command-Execution.html
- https://github.com/EyesOfNetworkCommunity/eonapi/issues/17
- https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2020/CVE-2020-8657.yaml

## Live exploitation data

The [Live Exploit Tracker page](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/cves/CVE-2020-8657) follows observed exploitation activity for CVE-2020-8657. [Request an API key](https://tracker.crowdsec.net/request-api-key) for full access to its exploitation timeline, attacking IP addresses and blocklists.