How severe is CVE-2020-12049?

CVE-2020-12049 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-12049 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (43rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-12049?

CVE-2020-12049 primarily affects Freedesktop Dbus. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-12049?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-12049 published?

CVE-2020-12049 was published on 2020-06-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-12049

CVE-2020-12049 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Freedesktop Dbus with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-404.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.9
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (43rd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-404
Affected product: Freedesktop Dbus
Published: 2020-06-08
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in dbus >= 1.3.0 before 1.12.18. The DBusServer in libdbus, as used in dbus-daemon, leaks file descriptors when a message exceeds the per-message file descriptor limit. A local attacker with access to the D-Bus system bus or another system service's private AF_UNIX socket could use this to make the system service reach its file descriptor limit, denying service to subsequent D-Bus clients.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-12049?: An issue was discovered in dbus >= 1.3.0 before 1.12.18. The DBusServer in libdbus, as used in dbus-daemon, leaks file descriptors when a message exceeds the per-message file descriptor limit. A local attacker with access to the D-Bus system bus or another system service's private AF_UNIX socket could use this to make the system service reach its file descriptor limit, denying service to subsequent D-Bus clients.
How severe is CVE-2020-12049?: CVE-2020-12049 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-12049 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (43rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-12049?: CVE-2020-12049 primarily affects Freedesktop Dbus. In total, 7 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-12049?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-12049 published?: CVE-2020-12049 was published on 2020-06-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (7)

cpe:2.3:a:freedesktop:dbus:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:12.04:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:19.10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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