How severe is CVE-2020-36476?

CVE-2020-36476 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-36476 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (72nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-36476?

CVE-2020-36476 primarily affects Arm Mbed Tls. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-36476?

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

When was CVE-2020-36476 published?

CVE-2020-36476 was published on 2021-08-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-36476

CVE-2020-36476 is a high-severity vulnerability in Arm Mbed Tls with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-212.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (72nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-212
Affected product: Arm Mbed Tls
Published: 2021-08-23
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Mbed TLS before 2.24.0 (and before 2.16.8 LTS and before 2.7.17 LTS). There is missing zeroization of plaintext buffers in mbedtls_ssl_read to erase unused application data from memory.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-36476?: An issue was discovered in Mbed TLS before 2.24.0 (and before 2.16.8 LTS and before 2.7.17 LTS). There is missing zeroization of plaintext buffers in mbedtls_ssl_read to erase unused application data from memory.
How severe is CVE-2020-36476?: CVE-2020-36476 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-36476 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (72nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-36476?: CVE-2020-36476 primarily affects Arm Mbed Tls. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-36476?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2020-36476 published?: CVE-2020-36476 was published on 2021-08-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:arm:mbed_tls:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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