Desktop\&server ManagementApplication · Ivanti

CVE-2020-12441

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-08-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2020.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
Denial-of-Service (DoS) in Ivanti Service Manager HEAT Remote Control 7.4 due to a buffer overflow in the protocol parser of the ‘HEATRemoteService’ agent. The DoS can be triggered by sending a specially crafted network packet.

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 confidence

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the protocol parser of the HEATRemoteService agent in Ivanti Service Manager HEAT Remote Control 7.4. An unauthenticated attacker can send a specially crafted network packet to trigger the overflow, causing a denial of service condition.

MitigationApply vendor patches when available. If no patch exists, restrict network access to the HEATRemoteService agent by isolating it behind a firewall or disabling unnecessary exposure to untrusted networks.

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
Desktop\&server ManagementApplication
Affected:< 2020.1
Service Manager Heat Remote ControlApplication
Affected:= 7.4

CVSS 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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify if HEATRemoteService is running
    Check running processes or Windows services for 'HEATRemoteService' or 'HEAT Remote Service' entry
    Affected if The HEATRemoteService process or Windows service is present and running on the system
  2. Check Ivanti Service Manager HEAT Remote Control version
    Locate the installation directory for HEAT Remote Control 7.4 and check version information in the application properties or registry
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.4 (matches the affected version)
  3. Check Ivanti Desktop and Server Management version
    Check the installed version of Ivanti Desktop&server Management through installed programs list, application properties, or registry
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 2020.1 (any version < 2020.1)
  4. Determine network exposure of HEATRemoteService
    Review firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the HEATRemoteService port is accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if The HEATRemoteService agent is exposed to untrusted or external network traffic without firewall isolation

A system is affected if it runs HEATRemoteService from Ivanti Service Manager HEAT Remote Control 7.4 or Ivanti Desktop&server Management versions earlier than 2020.1, and the service is network-accessible to untrusted attackers.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2020.1 or later
Fixed in 2020.1
Interim mitigation

Apply vendor patches when available. If no patch exists, restrict network access to the HEATRemoteService agent by isolating it behind a firewall or disabling unnecessary exposure to untrusted networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Desktop & Server Management: 2020.1 or later; Service Manager HEAT Remote Control: version beyond 7.4 (contact vendor for exact fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the specific Ivanti product in use (Desktop & Server Management or Service Manager HEAT Remote Control)
  2. 2. For Desktop & Server Management: Upgrade to version 2020.1 or later
  3. 3. For Service Manager HEAT Remote Control: Upgrade to a version beyond 7.4 (contact Ivanti support for specific fixed version)
  4. 4. After upgrading, verify the HEATRemoteService agent is running the patched version
  5. 5. Test remote control functionality to ensure the upgrade did not break legitimate operations
Caveat Upgrading major versions may require compatibility testing with existing integrations and workflows; ensure backup before upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Desktop\&server Management Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-12441 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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