dbcve.org
AleosOperating system · Sierrawireless

CVE-2020-8782

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.4.9 / 4.9.5 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Unauthenticated RPC server on ALEOS before 4.4.9, 4.9.5, and 4.14.0 allows remote code execution.

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

Unauthenticated RPC server in ALEOS firmware (versions before 4.4.9, 4.9.5, and 4.14.0) on Sierra Wireless cellular modems and routers allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code without any credentials. The vulnerability stems from the RPC service listening on the network without proper authentication controls.

MitigationApply the appropriate ALEOS firmware update (4.4.9, 4.9.5, 4.14.0 or later) to all affected devices. If patching is immediately infeasible, restrict network access to the RPC service port via firewall rules or ACLs to prevent external exploitation.

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
AleosOperating system
Affected:< 4.4.9>= 4.5.0, < 4.9.5>= 4.10.0, < 4.14.0

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify the device and firmware
    Access the device administrative interface or use AT commands (AT!GETFWSIGNATURE or ATI) to retrieve the device model and ALEOS firmware version
    Affected if The firmware version is before 4.4.9, between 4.5.0 and 4.9.4 inclusive, or between 4.10.0 and 4.13.x inclusive
  2. Locate the RPC service port
    Scan the device or review documentation for open network ports; the ALEOS RPC service typically listens on TCP port 9495 or 9494 by default
    Affected if Port 9495 or 9494 (or other RPC ports) is open and accepting connections
  3. Verify network accessibility of RPC service
    From an external host, attempt to connect to the RPC port (e.g., nc -v <device_ip> 9495) or review firewall/ACL configurations to determine if the port is exposed to untrusted networks
    Affected if The RPC port is reachable from untrusted networks without firewall filtering
  4. Test RPC authentication requirement
    Send an RPC request to the open port (e.g., using curl, netcat, or an RPC client) without providing any credentials
    Affected if The RPC service accepts commands and responds without requiring any authentication credentials

A user is affected if they operate a Sierra Wireless device running ALEOS firmware version 4.4.9, 4.9.5, or 4.14.0 or earlier, with the RPC service exposed to the network and accessible without authentication.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.4.9 / 4.9.5 / 4.14.0 or later
Fixed in 4.4.94.9.54.14.0
Interim mitigation

Apply the appropriate ALEOS firmware update (4.4.9, 4.9.5, 4.14.0 or later) to all affected devices. If patching is immediately infeasible, restrict network access to the RPC service port via firewall rules or ACLs to prevent external exploitation.

Recommended fix High confidence

ALEOS 4.14.0 (or latest available version)

  1. 1. Identify the current ALEOS firmware version running on the device
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current version falls into: < 4.4.9, >= 4.5.0 and < 4.9.5, or >= 4.10.0 and < 4.14.0
  3. 3. If running < 4.4.9, upgrade to ALEOS 4.4.9 or later
  4. 4. If running >= 4.5.0 and < 4.9.5, upgrade to ALEOS 4.9.5 or later
  5. 5. If running >= 4.10.0 and < 4.14.0, upgrade to ALEOS 4.14.0 or later
  6. 6. Verify the upgrade was successful and the version matches the expected fixed release
  7. 7. After upgrading, confirm the RPC service is no longer exposed without authentication

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Aleos Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
40.0 hours of engineering $7,000
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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-2020-8782 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