CVE-2020-13988
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 Integer Overflow exists in the uIP TCP/IP Stack component when parsing TCP MSS options of IPv4 network packets in uip_process in net/ipv4/uip.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 confidenceInteger overflow vulnerability in the uIP TCP/IP stack's uip_process function in net/ipv4/uip.c when parsing TCP Maximum Segment Size (MSS) options in IPv4 packets. The overflow could lead to incorrect memory allocation or buffer operations due to improper validation of the MSS value before use in size calculations.
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-NG presenceSearch the codebase for Contiki-NG framework files or references, typically found in README files, build systems, or source tree structureAffected if The codebase is not Contiki-NG
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Verify Contiki-NG versionCheck version file (VERSION or similar) or git tags to determine if version is 3.0 or earlierAffected if Version is 3.0 or lower
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Confirm uIP stack usageSearch for the file net/ipv4/uip.c in the source tree. This file contains the vulnerable uip_process functionAffected if The file net/ipv4/uip.c exists and is compiled into the image
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Check if TCP processing is enabledInspect project configuration or header files for TCP stack compilation flags (such as UIP_CONF_TCP or similar TCP enable flags in contiki-conf.h)Affected if TCP processing is enabled in the build configuration
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Check if TCP MSS option parsing is in useReview the uip_process function in net/ipv4/uip.c or check if TCP_MAXSEG or similar MSS-related options are being processed by the stackAffected if TCP MSS option parsing is performed by the stack
The environment is affected if it uses Contiki-NG version 3.0 or earlier, compiles the net/ipv4/uip.c file, has TCP enabled, and processes TCP MSS options in the uIP stack.
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 dataImplement bounds checking and validation of TCP MSS option values before using them in arithmetic operations. Ensure all integer calculations related to packet parsing include overflow checks and use safe integer types where appropriate.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13988 — 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-2020-13988 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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