What is CVE-2020-36986?

CVE-2020-36986 is a high-severity vulnerability in Preyproject Prey, classified under Unquoted Search Path or Element. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-01-28.

How severe is CVE-2020-36986?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Vulnerability in Preyproject Prey

CVE-2020-36986

Prey 1.9.6 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability that allows local users to potentially execute code with elevated privileges. Attackers can exploit the unquoted path in the CronService to insert malicious code that would execute during application startup or system reboot.

EPSS: 0.002 (5.6th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Affected products

Preyproject Prey — versions 1.9.6

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-428 — Unquoted Search Path or Element

References

disclosure@vulncheck.com (exploit)
disclosure@vulncheck.com (product)
disclosure@vulncheck.com (third-party-advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-36986?: CVE-2020-36986 is a high-severity vulnerability in Preyproject Prey, classified under Unquoted Search Path or Element. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2026-01-28.
How severe is CVE-2020-36986?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.