EtcdApplication · Redhat
CVE-2020-15114
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 · uneditedIn etcd before versions 3.3.23 and 3.4.10, the etcd gateway is a simple TCP proxy to allow for basic service discovery and access. However, it is possible to include the gateway address as an endpoint. This results in a denial of service, since the endpoint can become stuck in a loop of requesting itself until there are no more available file descriptors to accept connections on the gateway.
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 confidenceIn etcd before 3.3.23 and 3.4.10, the etcd gateway (a TCP proxy for service discovery) can be specified as an endpoint itself, causing requests to loop back to the gateway repeatedly until all file descriptors are exhausted, resulting in denial of service.
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
EtcdApplication
>= 3.3.0, < 3.3.23>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.10
FedoraOperating system
= 32CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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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Check etcd versionRun `etcd --version` or check the installed package version using `rpm -q etcd` (Red Hat) or `dnf list installed etcd` (Fedora)Affected if The version is 3.3.0 or higher but lower than 3.3.23, or 3.4.0 or higher but lower than 3.4.10
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Verify etcd gateway is in useCheck for gateway configuration files or running processes. Look for the `--gateway` flag in the etcd process list using `ps aux | grep etcd` or check for gateway-related configuration in etcd config files (typically in /etc/etcd/ or as command-line arguments)Affected if The etcd gateway feature is enabled or configured (the vulnerability requires the gateway to be running)
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Inspect configured endpointsCheck the etcd client endpoints configuration. This is typically found in the etcd gateway config file or in any application configuration that specifies etcd endpoints. Look for entries that point to the gateway's listen address (commonly 127.0.0.1:23790 or similar)Affected if One or more endpoints are configured to point to the etcd gateway address itself, creating a loop condition
You are affected if your etcd version is in the vulnerable range (3.3.0-3.3.22 or 3.4.0-3.4.9), the etcd gateway is enabled, and a gateway address is configured as an endpoint, causing request loops that exhaust file descriptors.
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 data3.3.233.4.10
Upgrade etcd to version 3.3.23 or 3.4.10 or later to patch the vulnerability, or implement configuration controls to prevent gateway addresses from being used as endpoints.
Fix this in Etcd
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-15114 — 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-2020-15114 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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