CVE-2020-16235
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 · uneditedInadequate encryption may allow the credentials used by Emerson OpenEnterprise, up through version 3.3.5, to access field devices and external systems to be obtained.
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 confidenceEmerson OpenEnterprise up to version 3.3.5 uses inadequate encryption to protect credentials used for authenticating to field devices and external systems. This weakness allows an attacker with access to stored credentials or network traffic to potentially obtain plaintext credentials through cryptanalysis or by exploiting the weak encryption protection.
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<= 3.3.5CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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.
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Identify installed OpenEnterprise versionLocate and inspect the Emerson OpenEnterprise installation directory, checking version information in the program metadata, about dialog, or version file typically found in the SCADA server installation folderAffected if The installed version is 3.3.5 or any earlier version (3.3.0 through 3.3.5)
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Locate credential storage filesSearch the OpenEnterprise server installation for configuration or database files that store authentication credentials for field devices and external systems - common locations include config, data, or database subdirectories within the installation pathAffected if Credential storage files exist and are present in the installation directory (the vulnerability exists if these files use weak encryption)
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Inspect credential encryption mechanismExamine the credential storage files or configuration settings related to credential encryption - look for indicators of weak or reversible encryption algorithms in the system configuration or credential storage mechanismAffected if The system uses default or weak encryption for stored credentials rather than strong cryptographic methods
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Review network exposureAssess whether the OpenEnterprise SCADA server is directly accessible from untrusted networks or has open network ports that could allow an attacker to capture traffic containing credentialsAffected if The server has unrestricted network access or listens on exposed ports without proper network segmentation
A user is affected if their OpenEnterprise installation is version 3.3.5 or earlier and they store credentials for field devices or external systems using the built-in credential storage mechanism.
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 Emerson OpenEnterprise to version 3.3.6 or later which contains proper encryption for credential storage. If patching is not immediately feasible, ensure network access to the OpenEnterprise server is strictly limited and audit for any signs of credential compromise.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-16235 — 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-2020-16235 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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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