CVE-2020-5806
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 · uneditedAn attacker-controlled memory allocation size can be passed to the C++ new operator in the CServerManager::HandleBrowseLoadIconStreamRequest in messaging.dll. This can be done by sending a specially crafted message to 127.0.0.1:7153. Observed in FactoryTalk Linx 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 confidenceIn FactoryTalk Linx, the CServerManager::HandleBrowseLoadIconStreamRequest function in messaging.dll accepts an attacker-controlled size value that gets passed directly to the C++ new operator. By sending a specially crafted message to the local service on 127.0.0.1:7153, an attacker can cause excessive or controlled memory allocation, potentially leading to denial of service or memory corruption.
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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Verify FactoryTalk Linx is installedCheck for FactoryTalk Linx installation in the Windows Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Rockwell Software\FactoryTalk Linx or look for the product in Add/Remove ProgramsAffected if FactoryTalk Linx is present on the system
-
Determine the installed versionCheck the product version in Add/Remove Programs or examine the messaging.dll file properties located in the FactoryTalk Linx installation directoryAffected if The version is 6.11 or lower, or if the messaging.dll version cannot be determined to be newer than the affected range
-
Confirm the vulnerable service is runningRun 'netstat -an | findstr 7153' or check if the FactoryTalk Linx service is running via Services.mscAffected if The service is listening on TCP port 7153 on any interface (0.0.0.0:7153) rather than only localhost (127.0.0.1:7153)
-
Check network exposure of the serviceReview firewall rules or run 'netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all' to see if port 7153 is permitted for remote connectionsAffected if Port 7153 is accessible from network addresses other than 127.0.0.1
A user is affected if FactoryTalk Linx version 6.11 or lower is installed with the messaging service running and port 7153 is exposed beyond localhost.
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 dataRestrict access to the local service on port 7153 and implement strict input validation on the size parameter before passing it to memory allocation functions. Consider upgrading to a patched version when available.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 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 $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-5806 — 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-2020-5806 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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