CVE-2020-5589
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 · uneditedSONY Wireless Headphones WF-1000X, WF-SP700N, WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3, WH-CH700N, WH-H900N, WH-XB700, WH-XB900N, WI-1000X, WI-C600N and WI-SP600N with firmware versions prior to 4.5.2 have vulnerability that someone within the Bluetooth range can make the Bluetooth pairing and operate such as changing volume of the product.
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 confidenceA Bluetooth pairing vulnerability in multiple Sony wireless headphone models with firmware versions prior to 4.5.2 allows unauthenticated attackers within Bluetooth range to pair with the device and perform operations such as changing volume. The CVSS 8.8 indicates a high-severity network-adjacent attack with moderate complexity.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/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 your Sony headphone modelLocate the model name on the headphones themselves (usually on the ear cups or inside the headband) or check your purchase documentation/box. Confirm it matches one of: WF-1000X, WF-SP700N, WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3, WH-CH700N, WH-H900N, WH-XB700, WH-XB900NAffected if The model is one of the eight affected models listed in the CVE
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Check the installed firmware versionOpen the Sony Headphones Connect app on your smartphone, select your connected headphones, and navigate to the firmware or device information section. Alternatively, check your device Bluetooth settings if the version is displayed thereAffected if The displayed firmware version is lower than 4.5.2 or cannot be determined (all versions before 4.5.2 are affected)
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Verify Bluetooth pairing behaviorObserve whether the headphones enter pairing mode easily (e.g., holding the power button for a few seconds triggers pairing mode without requiring any app or PIN confirmation). This is the vulnerable behavior described in the CVEAffected if The headphones allow unauthenticated Bluetooth pairing without requiring a PIN or app-based authentication
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Confirm attack surface exposureConsider whether your headphones are typically used in public or shared spaces where unknown Bluetooth devices could be within range (typically 10 meters for Bluetooth)Affected if The headphones are used in environments where untrusted devices could be within Bluetooth range while the headphones are in pairing mode
You are affected if you own any of the eight listed Sony headphone models and your current firmware version is below 4.5.2, as all prior versions contain the unauthenticated Bluetooth pairing vulnerability.
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 the affected headphones firmware to version 4.5.2 or later using the Sony Headphones Connect app or official firmware update mechanism.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5589 — 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-2020-5589 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