CVE-2020-11496
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 · uneditedSprecher SPRECON-E firmware prior to 8.64b might allow local attackers with access to engineering data to insert arbitrary code. This firmware lacks the validation of the input values on the device side, which is provided by the engineering software during parameterization. Attackers with access to local configuration files can therefore insert malicious commands that are executed after compiling them to valid parameter files (“PDLs”), transferring them to the device, and restarting the device.
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 · high confidenceSprecher SPRECON-E firmware prior to version 8.64b lacks server-side input validation for parameter values provided by engineering software. An attacker with local access to engineering data and configuration files can inject malicious commands into parameter files (PDLs), which execute after transfer to the device and device restart.
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< 8.64bCVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 firmware versionAccess the device management interface or check the firmware information displayed on the SPRECON-E device. Locate the firmware version number in the system information or device status section.Affected if The firmware version is lower than 8.64b (for example, 8.60, 8.50, or any version number below 8.64b).
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Verify access controls on engineering workstationsExamine the file system permissions on engineering workstations that store SPRECON-E configuration software and engineering data. Check which user accounts have read or write access to these directories.Affected if Unauthorized users or groups have access to engineering software directories or configuration files.
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Locate and inspect PDL parameter filesSearch for .pdl or other parameter definition files used by the SPRECON-E engineering software. These files typically contain device configuration parameters. Open and review their contents for unexpected command syntax, scripts, or shell commands.Affected if PDL files contain suspicious command strings, script injections, or parameter values that do not match expected configuration formats.
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Review recent configuration transfers and restartsCheck device logs or audit records for recent configuration file transfers from engineering software to the device, followed by device restarts. Correlate these events with any unexplained configuration changes.Affected if Configuration transfers occurred followed by device restarts, and unauthorized or unexpected changes to device parameters are present.
You are affected if the SPRECON-E firmware version is below 8.64b AND an attacker with local access could have modified PDL parameter files that were subsequently transferred to the device.
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 data8.64b
Upgrade SPRECON-E firmware to version 8.64b or later. Restrict physical and logical access to engineering workstations and configuration files. Implement network segmentation to limit exposure of engineering stations.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-11496 — 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-2020-11496 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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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
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