CVE-2020-6996
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 · uneditedTriangle MicroWorks DNP3 Outstation LibrariesDNP3 Outstation .NET Protocol components and DNP3 Outstation ANSI C source code libraries are affected:3.16.00 through 3.25.01. A specially crafted message may cause a stack-based buffer overflow. Authentication is not required to exploit this vulnerability.
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 stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability exists in Triangle MicroWorks DNP3 Outstation Libraries (versions 3.16.00 through 3.25.01), affecting both .NET Protocol components and ANSI C source code libraries. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted DNP3 messages that overflow a stack-based buffer, potentially allowing arbitrary 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>= 3.16.00, <= 3.25.01CVSS 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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Locate Triangle MicroWorks DNP3 library filesSearch system for files containing 'TriangleMicroWorks' or 'DNP3' in the filename, such as TMWS-DNP3.dll, DNP3Protocol.dll, or similar library files. Check common installation directories like C:\Program Files\Triangle MicroWorks or /opt/trianglemicroworks on Linux systems.Affected if DNP3 library files from Triangle MicroWorks are found on the system
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Identify installed product versionRight-click the located DLL or library file, select Properties, then view the Details tab for version information. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Triangle MicroWorks or HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Triangle MicroWorks if the library was installed as part of a packaged product.Affected if The installed version falls within range 3.16.00 through 3.25.01
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Determine if DNP3 service is running and exposedCheck for applications or services listening on DNP3 default port 20000/TCP using command 'netstat -an | grep 20000' or by reviewing firewall rules. Identify which process owns this port using 'netstat -ano | findstr :20000'.Affected if A DNP3 service using Triangle MicroWorks library is listening on network ports
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Identify applications using the vulnerable libraryReview any SCADA, ICS, or energy management applications installed that utilize DNP3 protocol communication. Check application documentation or dependencies to confirm use of Triangle MicroWorks libraries.Affected if An application depends on Triangle MicroWorks DNP3 library and the version is within the affected range
The system is affected if Triangle MicroWorks DNP3 Source Code Library versions 3.16.00 through 3.25.01 are installed and exposed to DNP3 network traffic.
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 dataUpgrade to version 3.25.02 or later. If immediate patching is not feasible, isolate affected systems on a restricted network segment and implement compensating controls such as firewall rules limiting DNP3 traffic to trusted sources.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing12.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-6996 — 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-2020-6996 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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