CVE-2020-11904 – CVE-2020-11904 is an integer overflow vulnerabi... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-11904?

CVE-2020-11904 has a CVSS score of 7.3 (HIGH). CVE-2020-11904 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the Treck TCP/IP stack that allows attackers to write data beyond allocated memory boundaries. This affects numerous embedded systems, IoT devices, and networking equipment from multiple vendors that use vulnerable versions of the Treck stack. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution or denial of service.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-11904 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the Treck TCP/IP stack that allows attackers to write data beyond allocated memory boundaries. This affects numerous embedded systems, IoT devices, and networking equipment from multiple vendors that use vulnerable versions of the Treck stack. Successful exploitation could lead to remote code execution or denial of service.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Various embedded systems, IoT devices, networking equipment from Aruba, Cisco, Dell, NetApp, and other vendors using Treck TCP/IP stack

Versions: Treck TCP/IP stack versions before 6.0.1.66

Operating Systems: Embedded systems, various vendor-specific operating systems

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Affects devices from multiple vendors - check specific vendor advisories for exact product lists.

📦 What is this software?

Tcp\/ip by Treck

View all CVEs affecting Tcp\/ip →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with full system compromise, allowing attackers to take complete control of affected devices.

🟠

Likely Case

Denial of service causing device crashes or instability, potentially leading to network disruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if devices are behind firewalls with strict network segmentation and traffic filtering.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Directly exposed devices can be exploited remotely without authentication.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal devices could be exploited by compromised internal hosts or lateral movement.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Part of the Ripple20 vulnerabilities with public research and exploitation details available.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Treck TCP/IP stack 6.0.1.66 or later

Vendor Advisory: https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-treck-ip-stack-JyBQ5GyC

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Identify affected devices using vendor-specific tools. 2. Apply vendor-provided firmware updates. 3. Reboot devices after patching. 4. Verify patch installation.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Segmentation

all

Isolate affected devices in separate network segments with strict firewall rules.

Traffic Filtering

all

Block or filter malicious network traffic patterns that could trigger the vulnerability.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement strict network segmentation to isolate vulnerable devices
Deploy intrusion detection/prevention systems to monitor for exploitation attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check device firmware versions against vendor-specific vulnerability lists. Use vendor-provided scanning tools where available.

Check Version:

Vendor-specific commands vary - consult device documentation for version checking procedures.

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify firmware version is updated to vendor-recommended patched version. Test network connectivity and device functionality.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected device crashes or reboots
Memory allocation errors in system logs
Unusual network traffic patterns

Network Indicators:

Malformed TCP/IP packets targeting vulnerable devices
Traffic patterns matching known exploit signatures

SIEM Query:

Example: (device_type:embedded OR device_type:iot) AND (event_type:crash OR event_type:memory_error) AND timestamp:last_24h

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-11904

CVSS v3 Score: 7.3 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L

CWE: CWE-190

Published: June 17, 2020

Last Updated: September 30, 2025

🔗 References

http://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2020-006.txt
https://jsof-tech.com/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/ Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200625-0006/
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-treck-ip-stack-JyBQ5GyC Third Party Advisory
https://www.dell.com/support/article/de-de/sln321836/dell-response-to-the-ripple20-vulnerabilities
https://www.jsof-tech.com/ripple20/ Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/257161
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/257161/ Mitigation,Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://www.treck.com Product,Vendor Advisory
http://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/alert/ARUBA-PSA-2020-006.txt
https://jsof-tech.com/vulnerability-disclosure-policy/ Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200625-0006/
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-treck-ip-stack-JyBQ5GyC Third Party Advisory
https://www.dell.com/support/article/de-de/sln321836/dell-response-to-the-ripple20-vulnerabilities
https://www.jsof-tech.com/ripple20/ Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/257161
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/257161/ Mitigation,Third Party Advisory,US Government Resource
https://www.treck.com Product,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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