How severe is CVE-2020-14268?

CVE-2020-14268 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-14268 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-14268?

CVE-2020-14268 primarily affects Hcltech Notes. In total, 34 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-14268?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2020-14268 published?

CVE-2020-14268 was published on 2020-12-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-14268

CVE-2020-14268 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Hcltech Notes with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Hcltech Notes
Published: 2020-12-14
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A vulnerability in the MIME message handling of the Notes client (versions 9 and 10) could potentially be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker resulting in a stack buffer overflow. This could allow a remote attacker to crash the client or inject code into the system which would execute with the privileges of the client.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-14268?: A vulnerability in the MIME message handling of the Notes client (versions 9 and 10) could potentially be exploited by an unauthenticated attacker resulting in a stack buffer overflow. This could allow a remote attacker to crash the client or inject code into the system which would execute with the privileges of the client.
How severe is CVE-2020-14268?: CVE-2020-14268 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-14268 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-14268?: CVE-2020-14268 primarily affects Hcltech Notes. In total, 34 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-14268?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-14268 published?: CVE-2020-14268 was published on 2020-12-14 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://support.hcltechsw.com/csm?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0085762

Affected products (34)

cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp10if7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp1if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp1if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp2if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp2if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp2if3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp2if4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp3if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp3if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp3if3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp3if4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp4if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp4if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp5if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp5if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp5if3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp7if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp7if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp8if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp9if1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:9.0.1:fp9if2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:10.0.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:10.0.1:fp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:10.0.1:fp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:hcltech:notes:10.0.1:fp3:*:*:*:*:*:*

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