How severe is CVE-2020-5208?

CVE-2020-5208 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.

Is CVE-2020-5208 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-5208?

CVE-2020-5208 primarily affects Ipmitool Project Ipmitool. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5208?

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-2020-5208 published?

CVE-2020-5208 was published on 2020-02-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-5208

CVE-2020-5208 is a high-severity vulnerability in Ipmitool Project Ipmitool with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7. 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-120.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.7)
CVSS v2: 6.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-120
Affected product: Ipmitool Project Ipmitool
Published: 2020-02-05
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

It's been found that multiple functions in ipmitool before 1.8.19 neglect proper checking of the data received from a remote LAN party, which may lead to buffer overflows and potentially to remote code execution on the ipmitool side. This is especially dangerous if ipmitool is run as a privileged user. This problem is fixed in version 1.8.19.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-5208?: It's been found that multiple functions in ipmitool before 1.8.19 neglect proper checking of the data received from a remote LAN party, which may lead to buffer overflows and potentially to remote code execution on the ipmitool side. This is especially dangerous if ipmitool is run as a privileged user. This problem is fixed in version 1.8.19.
How severe is CVE-2020-5208?: CVE-2020-5208 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with high attack complexity, requires low privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability none.
Is CVE-2020-5208 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-5208?: CVE-2020-5208 primarily affects Ipmitool Project Ipmitool. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-5208?: 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-2020-5208 published?: CVE-2020-5208 was published on 2020-02-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:a:ipmitool_project:ipmitool:1.8.18:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:30:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:31:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:opensuse:leap:15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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