CVE-2020-10283
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass MAVLink protocol authentication by forcing version downgrade to v1.0, which lacks authentication. It affects unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground control stations using MAVLink v2.0 with backward compatibility enabled. Attackers can send malicious commands directly to autopilots.
💻 Affected Systems
- MAVLink protocol implementations
- Drone autopilots using MAVLink
- Ground Control Stations (GCS) using MAVLink
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete takeover of UAV/drone systems allowing unauthorized control, data exfiltration, or physical damage through malicious flight commands.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to telemetry data, injection of false sensor readings, or disruption of normal operations.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and authentication enforcement.
🎯 Exploit Status
Attack involves crafting AUTOPILOT_VERSION messages to trigger version downgrade, then sending unauthenticated v1.0 commands.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: MAVLink implementations should disable v1.0 backward compatibility or enforce authentication regardless of version
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/aliasrobotics/RVD/issues/3316
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update MAVLink implementation to disable v1.0 backward compatibility. 2. Ensure authentication is required for all protocol versions. 3. Restart affected systems.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable MAVLink v1.0 Compatibility
allConfigure systems to reject MAVLink v1.0 connections entirely
# Configuration depends on specific implementation - check vendor documentation
Network Segmentation
allIsolate MAVLink traffic to trusted networks only
# Use firewall rules to restrict MAVLink port (typically 14550/UDP) to authorized IPs only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network access controls to limit MAVLink traffic to trusted sources only
- Monitor for AUTOPILOT_VERSION messages triggering downgrade and block suspicious connections
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Test if system accepts MAVLink v1.0 packets after sending crafted AUTOPILOT_VERSION messageCheck Version:
# Check MAVLink implementation version and configuration - vendor specificVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm system rejects MAVLink v1.0 packets and requires authentication for all connections📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- MAVLink version downgrade events
- Unauthenticated v1.0 protocol usage
- Multiple failed authentication attempts
Network Indicators:
- MAVLink v1.0 packets after initial v2.0 handshake
- Suspicious AUTOPILOT_VERSION message patterns
SIEM Query:
MAVLink AND (version:1.0 OR auth_failure) FROM drone_network