CVE-2020-16166

Name: CVE-2020-16166
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-07-30T21:15:11.533+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

LOWCVSS 3.7/10EPSS 5.23%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-16166 is a low-severity vulnerability rated 3.7/10 on the CVSS scale. The Linux kernel through 5.7.11 allows remote attackers to make observations that help to obtain sensitive information about the internal state of the network RNG, aka CID-f227e3ec3b5c. This is related to drivers/char/random.c and kernel/time/timer.c.. EPSS estimates a 5.23% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

The Linux kernel through 5.7.11 allows remote attackers to make observations that help to obtain sensitive information about the internal state of the network RNG, aka CID-f227e3ec3b5c. This is related to drivers/char/random.c and kernel/time/timer.c.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

3.7/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

EPSS Probability

5.23%

91.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

CWE-330

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	<= 5.7.11
Opensuse	Leap	15.1
Opensuse	Leap	15.2
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31
Fedoraproject	Fedora	32
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	14.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	16.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	20.04
Netapp	Active Iq Unified Manager	>= 9.5
Netapp	Cloud Volumes Ontap Mediator	All versions
Netapp	E-Series Santricity Os Controller	>= 11.0.0, <= 11.60.3
Netapp	Hci Bootstrap Os	All versions
Netapp	Hci Management Node	All versions
Netapp	Solidfire	All versions
Netapp	Steelstore Cloud Integrated Storage	All versions
Netapp	Storagegrid	<= 9.0.4
Netapp	H410c Firmware	All versions
Oracle	Sd-Wan Edge	8.2

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00009.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00047.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.07432.pdfTechnical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=f227e3ec3b5cad859ad15666874405e8c1bbc1d4Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=c51f8f88d705e06bd696d7510aff22b33eb8e638Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/f227e3ec3b5cad859ad15666874405e8c1bbc1d4Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00025.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AAPTLPAEKVAJYJ4LHN7VH4CN2W75R2YW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MFBCLQWJI5I4G25TVJNLXLAXJ4MERQNW/
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200814-0004/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4525-1/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4526-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.htmlPatch, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00009.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-08/msg00047.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.07432.pdfTechnical Description, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=f227e3ec3b5cad859ad15666874405e8c1bbc1d4Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=c51f8f88d705e06bd696d7510aff22b33eb8e638Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/f227e3ec3b5cad859ad15666874405e8c1bbc1d4Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/09/msg00025.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AAPTLPAEKVAJYJ4LHN7VH4CN2W75R2YW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MFBCLQWJI5I4G25TVJNLXLAXJ4MERQNW/
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200814-0004/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4525-1/Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4526-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.htmlPatch, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Jul 30, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-16166?

How severe is CVE-2020-16166?

CVE-2020-16166 has a CVSS score of 3.7/10 (LOW severity). The EPSS model estimates a 5.23% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-16166?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-16166?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST