CVE-2020-11440
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 · uneditedhttpRpmFs in WebCLI in Wind River VxWorks 5.5 through 7 SR0640 has no check for an escape from the web root.
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 confidenceThis is a path traversal vulnerability in the httpRpmFs filesystem handler of WebCLI in Wind River VxWorks. The component lacks proper validation to prevent escaping from the web root directory, potentially allowing remote attackers to access files outside the intended web-accessible directory structure.
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 data>= 5.5, < 7.0= 7.0CVSS 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.
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Identify installed VxWorks versionOn the VxWorks system, check the OS version via command line (e.g., 'version' command) or inspect system boot parameters/diagnostics. Compare the version number against the affected ranges: >= 5.5, < 7.0 or exactly 7.0.Affected if The installed version falls within >= 5.5 and < 7.0, or is exactly 7.0
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Confirm WebCLI is enabledDetermine if the WebCLI interface is actively running on the VxWorks device. Check for httpd processes or inspect the web server configuration. WebCLI typically listens on TCP port 80/443.Affected if WebCLI is enabled and accessible on the network
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Verify httpRpmFs handler is configuredInspect the WebCLI configuration files or runtime settings to confirm the httpRpmFs filesystem handler is loaded. This handler serves files from the VxWorks RPM filesystem via HTTP.Affected if httpRpmFs handler is present in the WebCLI configuration
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Test for path traversal accessibilityFrom a remote system, attempt to access a file outside the intended web root by sending an HTTP request with path traversal sequences (e.g., GET /../../etc/passwd HTTP/1.1) to the WebCLI endpoint. Compare response against expected file access restrictions.Affected if The system returns files from outside the intended web-accessible directory structure
You are affected if your VxWorks version is >= 5.5 and < 7.0 or exactly 7.0, AND WebCLI with httpRpmFs is enabled and accessible, AND path traversal requests return files outside the web root.
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 data7.0
Apply the vendor patch for VxWorks (update to SR0640 or later if available), or implement web server-level access controls to restrict file system access to only intended directories.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11440 — 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-2020-11440 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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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