Factorytalk LinxApplication · Rockwellautomation

CVE-2020-5802

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.11 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
An attacker-controlled memory allocation size can be passed to the C++ new operator in RnaDaSvr.dll by sending a specially crafted ConfigureItems message to TCP port 4241. This will cause an unhandled exception, resulting in termination of RSLinxNG.exe. Observed in FactoryTalk 6.11. All versions of FactoryTalk Linx are affected.

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 confidence

A memory allocation vulnerability exists in FactoryTalk Linx (RSLinxNG.exe) where an attacker can send a specially crafted ConfigureItems message to TCP port 4241 containing an attacker-controlled size value passed to the C++ new operator. This causes an unhandled exception resulting in denial of service via process termination.

MitigationRestrict network access to TCP port 4241 to trusted IPs only via firewall or network segmentation. Apply vendor patches when released. Consider upgrading to newer versions if available.

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
Factorytalk LinxApplication
Affected:<= 6.11

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify FactoryTalk Linx installation
    Look for RSLinxNG.exe on the system, typically in C:\Program Files\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Linx\ or check Windows Programs and Features for FactoryTalk Linx entry
    Affected if FactoryTalk Linx is installed and RSLinxNG.exe is present
  2. Check installed version
    Right-click RSLinxNG.exe in the installation directory, select Properties, then Details to view the File Version, or check the version listed in Add/Remove Programs
    Affected if The version number is 6.11 or lower (the CVE specifies <= 6.11 is affected)
  3. Verify TCP port 4241 is listening
    Open Command Prompt and run 'netstat -an | findstr 4241' to check if the service is listening on TCP port 4241
    Affected if Port 4241 shows LISTENING state, indicating the service is exposed on the network
  4. Confirm service is running
    Open Services.msc and look for FactoryTalk Linx service, or run 'tasklist | findstr RSLinxNG' to check if the process is active
    Affected if The RSLinxNG.exe process is running, creating an active attack surface

The system is affected if FactoryTalk Linx version 6.11 or lower is installed with TCP port 4241 open and the RSLinxNG service actively running and accessible over the network.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.11
Interim mitigation

Restrict network access to TCP port 4241 to trusted IPs only via firewall or network segmentation. Apply vendor patches when released. Consider upgrading to newer versions if available.

Fix this in Factorytalk Linx Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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Scan for this in your stack

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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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2020-5802 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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