CVE-2020-14498
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 · uneditedHMS Industrial Networks AB eCatcher all versions prior to 6.5.5 is vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow, which may allow an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code.
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 confidenceHMS Industrial Networks AB eCatcher VPN client contains a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in all versions prior to 6.5.5. The overflow occurs when processing network data, allowing an attacker to overwrite stack memory and redirect execution flow to attacker-controlled code. This enables full remote code execution on the affected system without authentication.
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< 6.5.5CVSS 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
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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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Locate eCatcher installationSearch for eCatcher executables on the system, typically found in Program Files directories or common application paths (e.g., C:\Program Files\HMS\eCatcher\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\HMS\eCatcher\). Check Add/Remove Programs or the Windows Installed Apps list for HMS eCatcher.Affected if eCatcher VPN client is found installed on the system
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Determine installed eCatcher versionRight-click the eCatcher executable (ecatcher.exe) and select Properties, then navigate to the Details tab to view the File Version. Alternatively, check the version information displayed when launching the application or within the application's About/Help section.Affected if version cannot be determined or is低于6.5.5
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Compare version against affected rangeCompare the identified version number to the affected range: all versions prior to 6.5.5. Note the exact version string (e.g., 6.5.4, 6.4.0, 5.x.x) and determine if it is less than 6.5.5.Affected if installed version is less than 6.5.5 (e.g., 6.5.4, 6.4, 5.x)
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Assess network exposure triggerDetermine if eCatcher is configured to accept incoming network connections or is exposed to untrusted networks, as the buffer overflow triggers when processing network data.Affected if eCatcher processes untrusted network data and version is below 6.5.5
User is affected if eCatcher VPN client is installed with any version lower than 6.5.5 and the client processes network traffic, which enables remote code execution.
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.
dbcve · scoped6.5.5
Upgrade eCatcher to version 6.5.5 or later to obtain the patched binary. Until upgraded, restrict network exposure of eCatcher clients and monitor for indicators of compromise.
6.5.5
- 1. Identify the current version of HMS eCatcher installed on the system
- 2. Navigate to the official HMS Industrial Networks website or contact their support to obtain version 6.5.5 or later
- 3. Download the eCatcher installer version 6.5.5 or newer
- 4. Before upgrading, back up any existing eCatcher configurations and project files
- 5. Uninstall the current version of eCatcher
- 6. Install the new version (6.5.5 or later) using the downloaded installer
- 7. Verify the installation by checking that eCatcher now runs version 6.5.5 or later
- 8. Restore any backed-up configurations if needed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14498 — 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-2020-14498 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data