CVE-2020-17445
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in picoTCP 1.7.0. The code for processing the IPv6 destination options does not check for a valid length of the destination options header. This results in an Out-of-Bounds Read, and, depending on the memory protection mechanism, this may result in Denial-of-Service in pico_ipv6_process_destopt() in pico_ipv6.c.
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 confidencepicoTCP 1.7.0 contains an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the IPv6 destination options processing code. The pico_ipv6_process_destopt() function in pico_ipv6.c fails to validate the length field of the IPv6 destination options header before processing, allowing a maliciously crafted IPv6 packet with an invalid options length to trigger the vulnerability, potentially causing 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<= 1.7.0CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/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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Identify if picoTCP is in useSearch your codebase, build system, or dependencies for 'picotcp', 'picoTCP', or the library binary. Check for references to 'pico_ipv6.c' in source or compiled objects.Affected if picoTCP library or its source code is present in your environment
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Determine picoTCP versionCheck version information in the library source, headers, or build files (e.g., VERSION file, version.h, or library filename). Compare against the affected range.Affected if The installed version is 1.7.0 or any earlier version (1.x <= 1.7.0)
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Verify IPv6 support is enabledInspect your application or firmware configuration for IPv6 enablement flags, build options, or runtime settings. Look for CONFIG_IPV6, PICO_SUPPORT_IPV6, or similar compile-time definitions.Affected if IPv6 support is compiled in or enabled at runtime
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Confirm the vulnerable function existsSearch the picoTCP source tree for the function 'pico_ipv6_process_destopt' in pico_ipv6.c or its compiled binary.Affected if The pico_ipv6_process_destopt function is present in the deployed code
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Inspect IPv6 destination options handlingReview the pico_ipv6.c source code for the pico_ipv6_process_destopt function. Look for length validation of the destination options header before processing options data.Affected if The code lacks proper length validation for the IPv6 destination options header length field
Your environment is affected if it uses picoTCP version 1.7.0 or earlier with IPv6 support enabled, and the deployed code contains the vulnerable pico_ipv6_process_destopt function without length validation for IPv6 destination options headers.
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 dataImplement proper length validation for IPv6 destination options headers in pico_ipv6_process_destopt() to ensure the options length field matches the actual data before processing, preventing out-of-bounds memory access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 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 $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-17445 — 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-2020-17445 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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