CVE-2020-16229
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. Processing specially crafted project files lacking proper validation of user supplied data may cause a type confusion condition, which 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 · moderate confidenceThis is a type confusion vulnerability in Advantech WebAccess HMI Designer caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied data when parsing project files. An attacker can craft a malicious project file that triggers improper type handling during parsing, potentially leading to 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 WebAccess/HMI Designer is installedCheck the system for the presence of Advantech WebAccess HMI Designer by looking for the application in Program Files or Program Files (x86), or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'WebAccess HMI Designer' or similar Advantech entries.Affected if The application is present on the system
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Identify the installed versionOpen the application and navigate to Help > About, or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Advantech\WebAccess\HMIDesigner for a Version value, or locate the setup.ini or an executable file property that displays the version.Affected if The installed version is 2.1.9.31 or any version lower than 2.1.9.31
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Confirm project file handling is enabledVerify that the application can open and parse project files (.adx, .wip, or similar project file extensions associated with WebAccess HMI Designer). This is the default operational behavior of the software.Affected if The application is capable of opening project files (default state)
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Check for recent project file processing eventsReview application logs, Windows Event Viewer Application logs, or crash dump files for any entries related to parsing project files, especially from untrusted or unsolicited sources.Affected if There are logs or crash reports indicating project file parsing has occurred, particularly with files from external or untrusted sources
A user is affected if WebAccess HMI Designer version 2.1.9.31 or lower is installed and the application is used to open project files, which is its standard function.
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 dataUsers should avoid opening untrusted or unsolicited project files in WebAccess HMI Designer. Organizations should update to a patched version when released and implement application whitelisting to restrict which files can be opened.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16229 — 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-2020-16229 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
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