What is CVE-2020-5741?

CVE-2020-5741 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, classified under Deserialization of Untrusted Data. CVSS score: 7.2/10. Published 2020-05-08.

How severe is CVE-2020-5741?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.2 out of 10.

Is CVE-2020-5741 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2020-5741 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-03-10), indicating it is being actively exploited. 5 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Deserialization in Microsoft Windows

CVE-2020-5741

Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Plex Media Server on Windows allows a remote, authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary Python code.

Vulnerability class: Insecure Deserialization

Published 2020-05-08 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.2 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.729 (99.4th percentile), scored 2026-10-17.

High probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — patch promptly. 99th percentile — 99.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.729 · newest: 0.729 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Windows
Plex Media Server
Plex Media Server (Windows) — versions Versions prior to 1.19.3

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-502 — Deserialization of Untrusted Data

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2023-03-10. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2023-03-31.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

www.tenable.com/security/research/tra-2020-32 (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
packetstormsecurity.com/files/158470/Plex-Unpickle-Dict-Windows-Remote-Code-Exe… (Exploit, VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5741?: CVE-2020-5741 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows, classified under Deserialization of Untrusted Data. CVSS score: 7.2/10. Published 2020-05-08.
How severe is CVE-2020-5741?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.2 out of 10.
Is CVE-2020-5741 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2020-5741 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2023-03-10), indicating it is being actively exploited. 5 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.