dbcve.org
CodemeterApplication · Wibu

CVE-2020-14517

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.90 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
Protocol encryption can be easily broken for CodeMeter (All versions prior to 6.90 are affected, including Version 6.90 or newer only if CodeMeter Runtime is running as server) and the server accepts external connections, which may allow an attacker to remotely communicate with the CodeMeter API.

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 · high confidence

CodeMeter's protocol encryption is trivially breakable, allowing remote attackers to communicate with the CodeMeter API when the Runtime is running as a server and accepts external connections. This enables unauthenticated API access due to weak encryption protection.

MitigationUpdate CodeMeter to version 6.90 or newer, and restrict server access to external networks using firewall rules or network segmentation to prevent unauthorized API communication.

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
CodemeterApplication
Affected:< 6.90

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. Check CodeMeter version
    Open CodeMeter Control Center, go to Help > About, or check the installed version in Windows Programs and Features. Alternatively, run 'cmadmin -v' from command line if available.
    Affected if Version is below 6.90
  2. Verify CodeMeter Runtime is running
    Check if the CodeMeter service (CodeMeter.exe or CodeMeter Server) is running in Windows Task Manager or Services console.
    Affected if CodeMeter Runtime is active and running as a server process
  3. Check network binding configuration
    Inspect CodeMeter's network configuration in CodeMeter Control Center > Server Settings, or check CmLan.ini/CmCfg.ini configuration files for bindAddress settings.
    Affected if The service is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an external IP address rather than localhost only
  4. Confirm external network accessibility
    Use netstat -an | findstr 22350 (or the configured port) to see if CodeMeter is listening on external interfaces, or attempt a telnet/nc connection to the CodeMeter port from an external host.
    Affected if CodeMeter API port is listening on non-loopback interfaces and is reachable from external network

You are affected if CodeMeter version is below 6.90 AND the Runtime is running as a server accepting connections from external network interfaces.

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 6.90 or later
Fixed in 6.90
Interim mitigation

Update CodeMeter to version 6.90 or newer, and restrict server access to external networks using firewall rules or network segmentation to prevent unauthorized API communication.

Recommended fix High confidence

CodeMeter version 6.90 or newer

  1. Identify the current CodeMeter version installed on the system
  2. Download CodeMeter version 6.90 or later from the official vendor (WIBU-SYSTEMS)
  3. Back up the current CodeMeter configuration and license data
  4. Install CodeMeter version 6.90 or newer
  5. After upgrade, verify the running version is 6.90 or later
  6. If CodeMeter Runtime is running as a server, ensure external connections are disabled or properly restricted if not required

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

Fix this in Codemeter Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,888.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-14517 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2020-14517 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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