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Known exploited vulnerability · CISA KEV

CVE-2020-8644: PlaySMS Server-Side Template Injection Vulnerability

PlaySMS contains a server-side template injection vulnerability that allows for remote code execution.

CVE-2020-8644

Exploited in the wild. Fix this first.

CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2021-11-03: attackers are using it right now.

CISA KEV
Listed
Added 2021-11-03 · federal fix-by 2022-05-03
EPSS (30 days)
87%
Higher than 99.7% of CVEs · 2026-11-01
CVSS v3.1
9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

What CISA says

PlaySMS Server-Side Template Injection Vulnerability

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

NVD description · published 2020-02-05

PlaySMS before 1.4.3 does not sanitize inputs from a malicious string.

Full record on NVD

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How to check if you are exposed to CVE-2020-8644

  1. Find every PlaySMS system you or your clients run, including ones exposed to the internet. Those come first: CISA only lists flaws attackers are already using.
  2. Compare each version with the fixed versions in the vendor advisory. Where no fix exists yet, apply the vendor’s mitigation or take the system off the internet.
  3. Run a credentialed vulnerability scan to catch the systems you missed, then check that the next scan no longer reports CVE-2020-8644.

US federal agencies had to fix this by 2022-05-03. Everyone else should treat that deadline as a guide: if it has passed, this is overdue.

Affected versions

Versions the National Vulnerability Database lists as vulnerable to CVE-2020-8644. Check the vendor advisory for the exact fixed builds before you sign anything off.

ProductVulnerable versions
Playsmsbefore 1.4.3

Timeline

  1. · Published in the National Vulnerability Database
  2. · Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, 637 days after it was published
  3. · Fix-by date for US federal agencies, passed 1,643 days ago

Weakness type

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Sources: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (version 2026.10.30); EPSS data from FIRST.org; CVSS and descriptions from the NIST National Vulnerability Database. Checked 2026-11-01. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.

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