CVE-2020-37159
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 · uneditedParallaxis Cuckoo Clock 5.0 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by overwriting memory registers in the alarm scheduling feature. Attackers can craft a malicious payload exceeding 260 bytes to overwrite EIP and EBP, enabling shellcode execution with potential 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 confidenceParallaxis Cuckoo Clock 5.0 contains a stack-based buffer overflow in its alarm scheduling feature. Attackers can send a malicious payload exceeding 260 bytes to overwrite the EIP and EBP registers, allowing arbitrary code execution. This is a classic stack-smashing vulnerability where user-supplied input exceeds the bounds of a fixed-size buffer on the stack.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
CVSS 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 Parallaxis Cuckoo Clock is installedCheck for the application in the program files directory (e.g., C:\Program Files\Parallaxis\Cuckoo Clock\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallaxis\Cuckoo Clock\) or look for the executable named 'Cuckoo Clock.exe'Affected if The application is present on the system
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Confirm installed version is 5.0Right-click the executable, select Properties, then check the Details tab for the version number, or run the application and look in Help > AboutAffected if Version displays as 5.0 exactly
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Identify alarm scheduling featureLaunch the application and navigate through the interface to locate the alarm scheduling module (typically labeled 'Alarm', 'Schedule Alarm', or similar)Affected if The alarm scheduling feature exists and is accessible in the application menu or interface
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Check if alarm input accepts user-provided dataIn the alarm scheduling interface, attempt to enter text into alarm name/description fields or set alarm timesAffected if The alarm scheduling allows text input that can be saved or triggered
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Verify no input length restrictions existIn the alarm input fields, attempt to paste or type more than 260 characters to see if the application accepts it without truncation or errorAffected if The application accepts input exceeding 260 characters without validation or error
If Parallaxis Cuckoo Clock version 5.0 is installed and the alarm scheduling feature accepts user input exceeding 260 bytes, the system is vulnerable to this buffer overflow.
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 dataIf a patched version exists, upgrade immediately. Otherwise, disable the alarm scheduling feature and enable OS-level protections (DEP/ASLR) for the application. Consider input validation or length checking if source code access is available.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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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-2020-37159 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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