CVE-2020-4097
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 · uneditedIn HCL Notes version 9 previous to release 9.0.1 FixPack 10 Interim Fix 8, version 10 previous to release 10.0.1 FixPack 6 and version 11 previous to 11.0.1 FixPack 1, a vulnerability in the input parameter handling of the Notes Client could potentially be exploited by an attacker resulting in a buffer overflow. This could enable an attacker to crash HCL Notes or execute attacker-controlled code on the client.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in HCL Notes Client input parameter handling affecting versions 9.x before 9.0.1 FP10 IF8, 10.x before 10.0.1 FP6, and 11.x before 11.0.1 FP1. Exploitation allows denial of service or remote code execution.
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>= 9.0, <= 9.0.1>= 11.0, <= 11.0.1= 9.0.1= 10.0.0= 10.0.1CVSS 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
- Physical
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/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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Identify if HCL Notes Client is installedCheck for HCL Notes installation on the system - typically found in program directories or check Add/Remove Programs for 'HCL Notes' or 'IBM Notes' entriesAffected if HCL Notes Client is present on the system
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Determine the installed Notes version numberOpen HCL Notes and go to File > HCL Notes > About HCL Notes, or run 'notes -version' from the command line, or check the version from the installation directory readme fileAffected if The displayed version falls within affected ranges: 9.0.x, 9.0.1, 10.0.0, 10.0.1, or 11.0.x through 11.0.1
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Check the installed Fix Pack levelIn the Notes client, go to File > HCL Notes > About HCL Notes and look for Fix Pack information, or check Add/Remove Programs for the installed Fix Pack versionAffected if For version 9.0.1: Fix Pack below 10 IF8; for version 10.0.1: Fix Pack below 6; for version 11.0.1: Fix Pack below 1; or if no Fix Pack is installed on any affected base version
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Verify input parameter handling is in useThis vulnerability affects input parameter handling in the Notes client - confirm the client is used for typical operations such as opening databases, loading documents, or processing external dataAffected if The Notes client is actively used for processing input from external sources or untrusted documents
The environment is affected if HCL Notes Client is installed and the version is 9.0.x through 9.0.1 before FP10 IF8, 10.0.0 or 10.0.1 before FP6, or 11.0.x through 11.0.1 before FP1.
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 appropriate HCL Notes Fix Pack update: 9.0.1 FixPack 10 Interim Fix 8, 10.0.1 FixPack 6, or 11.0.1 FixPack 1.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-4097 — 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-2020-4097 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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