CVE-2020-27251
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 · uneditedA heap overflow vulnerability exists within FactoryTalk Linx Version 6.11 and prior. This vulnerability could allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to send malicious port ranges, which could result in remote code execution.
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 confidenceA heap overflow vulnerability in FactoryTalk Linx versions 6.11 and prior allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to send malicious port ranges, potentially achieving remote code execution on affected systems.
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<= 6.11CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/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 FactoryTalk Linx is installedCheck the Windows installed programs list via Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell to list installed software and look for FactoryTalk LinxAffected if FactoryTalk Linx appears in the installed programs list
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Determine the installed version numberLocate the FactoryTalk Linx installation directory (typically in C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Linx or similar) and check the version info of the executable, or look in Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Linx for the Version entryAffected if The version is 6.11 or lower, or if no version can be determined but FactoryTalk Linx is present
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Check if the FactoryTalk Linx service is running and listening on network portsOpen Command Prompt and run 'netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING' to see listening ports, or use PowerShell 'Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen' to list all listening ports. FactoryTalk Linx typically uses ports in the 47808/UDP range for EtherNet/IP communicationsAffected if FactoryTalk Linx ports are in a listening state and bound to network interfaces accessible from other systems
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Verify network exposure of the affected serviceCheck if the machine hosting FactoryTalk Linx is directly accessible from untrusted networks by reviewing firewall rules (run 'netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all' or check Windows Firewall settings), and determine if the affected ports are open to external IPs or the internetAffected if Firewall rules allow inbound connections to FactoryTalk Linx ports from untrusted network segments or the internet
The environment is affected if FactoryTalk Linx version 6.11 or prior is installed, running, and its network ports are accessible to remote, unauthenticated attackers.
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 the vendor-provided patch for FactoryTalk Linx when available; in the interim, implement network segmentation and restrict external access to affected systems to reduce attack surface.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing12.0 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 $7,616.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-27251 — 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-2020-27251 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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