CVE-2020-12005
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 · uneditedFactoryTalk Linx versions 6.00, 6.10, and 6.11, RSLinx Classic v4.11.00 and prior,Connected Components Workbench: Version 12 and prior, ControlFLASH: Version 14 and later, ControlFLASH Plus: Version 1 and later, FactoryTalk Asset Centre: Version 9 and later, FactoryTalk Linx CommDTM: Version 1 and later, Studio 5000 Launcher: Version 31 and later Stud, 5000 Logix Designer software: Version 32 and prior is vulnerable. A vulnerability exists in the communication function that enables users to upload EDS files by FactoryTalk Linx. This may allow an attacker to upload a file with bad compression, consuming all the available CPU resources, leading to a denial-of-service condition.
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 confidenceDenial-of-service vulnerability in FactoryTalk Linx's EDS file upload functionality. Attackers can exploit the communication function that handles EDS file uploads by uploading maliciously crafted files with bad compression, causing excessive CPU consumption and system unavailability.
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= 6.00= 6.10= 6.11<= 4.11.00CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 FactoryTalk Linx installation and versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use 'Get-ItemProperty' in PowerShell for registry key 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' to locate FactoryTalk Linx and note its installed version number.Affected if Installed version matches 6.00, 6.10, or 6.11 exactly.
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Identify RSLinx Classic installation and versionOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or inspect the RSLinx Classic installation directory, to locate the version number. The version is typically displayed in the application About dialog or in the program's file properties.Affected if Installed version is 4.11.00 or lower (any version up to and including 4.11.00).
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Verify EDS file upload functionality is presentLocate the FactoryTalk Linx or RSLinx Classic interface and navigate to the EDS file management or upload section, typically found under the software's communication or device configuration settings.Affected if The EDS upload/upload feature exists and is accessible in the installed software.
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Monitor for abnormal CPU consumptionUse Windows Task Manager or PowerShell 'Get-Process' cmdlet to observe CPU usage. If the software is experiencing a DoS condition, the process may show sustained high CPU usage or the service may become unresponsive.Affected if The FactoryTalk Linx or RSLinx Classic process exhibits unexplained high CPU consumption or the software becomes unresponsive during or after EDS file operations.
You are affected if FactoryTalk Linx version 6.00, 6.10, or 6.11 is installed, OR RSLinx Classic version 4.11.00 or lower is installed, AND the EDS file upload feature is accessible in your environment.
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 dataApply available vendor patches or updates to affected FactoryTalk Linx, RSLinx Classic, and related software products. Consider network segmentation and input validation as compensating controls until patches can be applied.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-12005 — 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-2020-12005 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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