CVE-2020-17438

CVE-2020-17438 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Uip Project Uip with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 19% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.

Key facts

Description

An issue was discovered in uIP 1.0, as used in Contiki 3.0 and other products. The code that reassembles fragmented packets fails to properly validate the total length of an incoming packet specified in its IP header, as well as the fragmentation offset value specified in the IP header. By crafting a packet with specific values of the IP header length and the fragmentation offset, attackers can write into the .bss section of the program (past the statically allocated buffer that is used for storing the fragmented data) and cause a denial of service in uip_reass() in uip.c, or possibly execute arbitrary code on some target architectures.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-17438?
An issue was discovered in uIP 1.0, as used in Contiki 3.0 and other products. The code that reassembles fragmented packets fails to properly validate the total length of an incoming packet specified in its IP header, as well as the fragmentation offset value specified in the IP header. By crafting a packet with specific values of the IP header length and the fragmentation offset, attackers can write into the .bss section of the program (past the statically allocated buffer that is used for storing the fragmented data) and cause a denial of service in uip_reass() in uip.c, or possibly execute arbitrary code on some target architectures.
How severe is CVE-2020-17438?
CVE-2020-17438 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-2020-17438 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 19% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-17438?
CVE-2020-17438 affects Uip Project Uip. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-17438?
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-2020-17438 published?
CVE-2020-17438 was published on 2020-12-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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