CVE-2020-13984
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Contiki through 3.0. An infinite loop exists in the uIP TCP/IP stack component when processing IPv6 extension headers in ext_hdr_options_process in net/ipv6/uip6.c.
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 confidenceAn infinite loop vulnerability exists in the Contiki uIP TCP/IP stack's IPv6 extension header processing function (ext_hdr_options_process in net/ipv6/uip6.c). When processing maliciously crafted IPv6 packets with extension headers, the function fails to properly terminate its processing loop, causing the device to hang or become unresponsive.
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<= 3.0CVSS 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
- 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 Contiki OS versionDetermine the Contiki firmware version running on the device. Check build metadata, firmware headers, or source code repositories for version information. Look for version markers in the Contiki source tree or build configuration files.Affected if The Contiki version is 3.0 or earlier (any version <= 3.0).
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Verify IPv6 stack is enabledExamine the Contiki build configuration (contiki-conf.h or project-conf.h) for IPv6 support. Check if the UIP_CONF_IPV6 preprocessor macro is defined and enabled, or if uip6.c is included in the build.Affected if IPv6 support is compiled into the firmware (the vulnerability only triggers when IPv6 extension headers are processed).
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Locate the vulnerable functionSearch the firmware binary or source code for the function ext_hdr_options_process in net/ipv6/uip6.c. If source is available, inspect the loop logic within this function for proper termination conditions.Affected if The function ext_hdr_options_process exists and processes IPv6 extension headers without proper loop termination checks.
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Confirm network exposure to IPv6Determine if the device listens on or processes IPv6 traffic. Check network configuration, interface settings, and whether the device accepts IPv6 packets on any network interface.Affected if The device processes incoming IPv6 packets, as the infinite loop triggers when malicious IPv6 extension headers are received.
A device is affected if it runs Contiki OS version 3.0 or earlier with IPv6 enabled and the vulnerable ext_hdr_options_process function present, making it susceptible to hangs when processing malicious IPv6 extension headers.
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 dataFix the loop logic in ext_hdr_options_process to ensure proper termination conditions when parsing IPv6 extension headers. Deploy updated Contiki firmware to affected IoT/embedded devices and implement network filtering to drop packets with malformed IPv6 extension headers as a defensive measure.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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-2020-13984 — 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-2020-13984 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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