CVE-2020-10281
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThis vulnerability applies to the Micro Air Vehicle Link (MAVLink) protocol and allows a remote attacker to gain access to sensitive information provided it has access to the communication medium. MAVLink is a header-based protocol that does not perform encryption to improve transfer (and reception speed) and efficiency by design. The increasing popularity of the protocol (used accross different autopilots) has led to its use in wired and wireless mediums through insecure communication channels exposing sensitive information to a remote attacker with ability to intercept network traffic.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceMAVLink protocol lacks encryption by design to maximize transfer speed and efficiency. A remote attacker with access to the communication medium (wired or wireless) can intercept unencrypted MAVLink traffic and gain access to sensitive information such as telemetry data, command signals, and system configuration details.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify MAVLink protocol in useInspect network traffic captures, system logs, or running processes for MAVLink packet signatures (MAVLink frames typically begin with STX byte 0xFE followed by payload length, sequence number, system ID, component ID, and message ID)Affected if MAVLink protocol traffic is detected in the environment
-
Verify encryption wrapper is configuredExamine the MAVLink communication configuration files or implementation to determine if an external encryption layer (such as a VPN, TLS tunnel, or MAVLink encryption module) is actively wrapping the MAVLink streamAffected if No encryption wrapper, VPN, TLS tunnel, or secure channel is configured around MAVLink communications
-
Check network isolation statusReview network architecture and firewall rules to verify whether the MAVLink communication path is physically or logically isolated from untrusted networks, or connected to shared/wireless mediums accessible to attackersAffected if MAVLink traffic traverses non-isolated networks or the communication medium is accessible to unauthorized remote attackers
Your environment is affected if MAVLink protocol is in use without an encryption wrapper, secure tunnel, or complete network isolation from untrusted communication paths.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataImplement encryption wrapper around MAVLink communications or use secure communication channels (e.g., VPN, TLS tunnel) to protect data in transit; alternatively, restrict communication to isolated/air-gapped networks.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $11,776.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-10281 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-10281 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data