CVE-2020-8997
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 · uneditedOlder generation Abbott FreeStyle Libre sensors allow remote attackers within close proximity to enable write access to memory via a specific NFC unlock command. NOTE: The vulnerability is not present in the FreeStyle Libre 14-day in the U.S (announced in August 2018) and FreeStyle Libre 2 outside the U.S (announced in October 2018).
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 · moderate confidenceOlder generation Abbott FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor sensors contain a vulnerability where attackers within close proximity can use a specific NFC unlock command to gain write access to sensor memory. This is a physical/proximity-based attack requiring the attacker to be near the sensor.
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 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 FreeStyle Libre sensor modelInspect the physical sensor packaging or look in the Abbott Libre app under device settings to find the specific sensor model name or numberAffected if The sensor is the original FreeStyle Libre (not Libre 14-day or Libre 2)
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Locate the sensor manufacturing dateCheck the expiration date printed on the sensor packaging or the sensor itself; the date code typically indicates when the sensor was manufacturedAffected if The sensor was manufactured before August 2018 (original generation)
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Check the firmware version via the reader or appConnect the sensor to the reader or open the Libre app and navigate to the device or sensor information section to view the firmware versionAffected if The firmware version corresponds to the original generation sensor (all versions are affected)
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Verify the sensor age if physically availableIf you have the used sensor, look for the model identifier printed on the sensor body; original generation sensors have different part numbers than Libre 14-day or Libre 2Affected if The sensor part number matches the original FreeStyle Libre generation
You are affected if you are using an original generation FreeStyle Libre sensor (manufactured before August 2018) rather than a FreeStyle Libre 14-day or FreeStyle Libre 2 sensor.
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 dataReplace affected older-generation FreeStyle Libre sensors with unaffected models (FreeStyle Libre 14-day in the U.S. or FreeStyle Libre 2 outside the U.S.) which were released starting August 2018.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 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 $2,624.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-8997 — 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-2020-8997 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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