CVE-2020-16211
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 · uneditedAdvantech WebAccess HMI Designer, Versions 2.1.9.31 and prior. An out-of-bounds read vulnerability may be exploited by processing specially crafted project files, which may allow an attacker to read information.
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 confidenceAn out-of-bounds read vulnerability exists in Advantech WebAccess HMI Designer when parsing project files. The vulnerability allows reading memory contents beyond allocated buffers by processing specially crafted malicious project files, leading to information disclosure.
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<= 2.1.9.31CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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.
-
Locate WebAccess HMI Designer installationSearch for Advantech WebAccess HMI Designer in installed programs or common installation directories (typically C:\Program Files\Advantech\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Advantech\)Affected if The software is installed on the system
-
Determine installed versionRight-click the executable (often named WebAccessHMI.exe or similar), select Properties, and check the Version tab, or check Add/Remove Programs for the version informationAffected if The installed version is 2.1.9.31 or earlier
-
Verify project file parsing capabilityLaunch the application and attempt to access the project file open/create functionality - look for file menu options like Open Project, Import, or New from templateAffected if The software can open or import project files (.wpj, .hmi, or similar extensions)
-
Check for untrusted project filesInspect user-accessible directories for project files from unknown or untrusted sources, particularly in recent documents or downloads folderAffected if There are project files from untrusted sources that could be opened by this software
A user is affected if WebAccess HMI Designer version 2.1.9.31 or earlier is installed and the software can parse project files, which could expose memory contents when opening a maliciously crafted file.
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 dataUpdate WebAccess HMI Designer to a version beyond 2.1.9.31. Until a patch is available, avoid opening untrusted project files from unknown sources.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $7,808.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16211 — 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-2020-16211 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
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.
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.
- 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