How severe is CVE-2020-7461?

CVE-2020-7461 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.

Is CVE-2020-7461 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-7461?

CVE-2020-7461 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 27 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-7461?

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-2020-7461 published?

CVE-2020-7461 was published on 2021-03-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-7461

CVE-2020-7461 is a high-severity vulnerability in Freebsd with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3. 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: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.3)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 4% (90th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Freebsd
Published: 2021-03-26
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In FreeBSD 12.1-STABLE before r365010, 11.4-STABLE before r365011, 12.1-RELEASE before p9, 11.4-RELEASE before p3, and 11.3-RELEASE before p13, dhclient(8) fails to handle certain malformed input related to handling of DHCP option 119 resulting a heap overflow. The heap overflow could in principle be exploited to achieve remote code execution. The affected process runs with reduced privileges in a Capsicum sandbox, limiting the immediate impact of an exploit.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-7461?: In FreeBSD 12.1-STABLE before r365010, 11.4-STABLE before r365011, 12.1-RELEASE before p9, 11.4-RELEASE before p3, and 11.3-RELEASE before p13, dhclient(8) fails to handle certain malformed input related to handling of DHCP option 119 resulting a heap overflow. The heap overflow could in principle be exploited to achieve remote code execution. The affected process runs with reduced privileges in a Capsicum sandbox, limiting the immediate impact of an exploit.
How severe is CVE-2020-7461?: CVE-2020-7461 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.3, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability low.
Is CVE-2020-7461 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 4% (90th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-7461?: CVE-2020-7461 primarily affects Freebsd. In total, 27 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-7461?: 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-2020-7461 published?: CVE-2020-7461 was published on 2021-03-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (27)

cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p10:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p11:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p12:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p8:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.3:p9:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.4:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.4:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:11.4:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:freebsd:freebsd:12.1:p8:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:siemens:simatic_rf350m_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:siemens:simatic_rf650m_firmware:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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