CVE-2020-16217
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. A double free vulnerability caused by processing specially crafted project files may allow remote code execution, disclosure/modification of information, or cause the application to crash.
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 confidenceAdvantech WebAccess HMI Designer contains a double free vulnerability when processing specially crafted project files. This memory corruption issue can be triggered by opening a malicious project file, potentially allowing remote code execution, information disclosure, or application crash.
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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify if Advantech WebAccess HMI Designer is installedSearch the system for WebAccess HMI Designer installation directories or check standard program installation locations (Program Files, Program Files x86). Look for folders named 'WebAccess' or 'Advantech' containing HMI Designer components.Affected if The application is found installed on the system
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Locate the installed versionNavigate to the WebAccess HMI Designer installation directory and look for version information. Check the main executable properties (right-click the .exe file, view Details tab) or look for version.txt/readme files in the installation folder.Affected if A version number is displayed in the file properties or documentation
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Compare installed version against vulnerable rangeCompare the discovered version number to the affected range: version 2.1.9.31 and earlier are vulnerable. If the version is 2.1.9.31 or lower, the installation is within the affected range.Affected if Installed version is 2.1.9.31 or lower
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Identify project file handling exposureCheck if the system handles .adpx project files (WebAccess HMI Designer project file extension). Review recent file access logs or the application's recent files list to see if any project files have been opened.Affected if The application has been used to open project files, especially from untrusted sources
A system is affected if WebAccess HMI Designer is installed with version 2.1.9.31 or lower and the software is used to open project files.
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 dataApply available vendor patches for WebAccess HMI Designer. Until patched, avoid opening project files from untrusted sources and restrict network access to affected systems.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16217 — 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-2020-16217 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