CVE-2020-5208

Name: CVE-2020-5208
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-02-05T14:15:11.42+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 8.8/10EPSS 3.29%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-5208 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.8/10 on the CVSS scale. It's been found that multiple functions in ipmitool before 1.8.19 neglect proper checking of the data received from a remote LAN party, which may lead to buffer overflows and potentially to remote code execution on the ipmitool side. This is especially dangerous if ipmitool is run as a privileged user. EPSS estimates a 3.29% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

It's been found that multiple functions in ipmitool before 1.8.19 neglect proper checking of the data received from a remote LAN party, which may lead to buffer overflows and potentially to remote code execution on the ipmitool side. This is especially dangerous if ipmitool is run as a privileged user. This problem is fixed in version 1.8.19.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

8.8/10

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

EPSS Probability

3.29%

86.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Ipmitool Project	Ipmitool	1.8.18
Debian	Debian Linux	8.0
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Fedoraproject	Fedora	30
Fedoraproject	Fedora	31
Opensuse	Leap	15.1

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-02/msg00031.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/commit/e824c23316ae50beb7f7488f2055ac65e8b341f2Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/security/advisories/GHSA-g659-9qxw-p7cpPatch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/02/msg00006.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/06/msg00029.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K2BPW66KDP4H36AGZXLED57A3O2Y6EQW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RYYEKUAUTCWICM77HOEGZDVVEUJLP4BP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-03Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-02/msg00031.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/commit/e824c23316ae50beb7f7488f2055ac65e8b341f2Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/ipmitool/ipmitool/security/advisories/GHSA-g659-9qxw-p7cpPatch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/02/msg00006.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/06/msg00029.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K2BPW66KDP4H36AGZXLED57A3O2Y6EQW/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RYYEKUAUTCWICM77HOEGZDVVEUJLP4BP/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-03Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Feb 5, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5208?

How severe is CVE-2020-5208?

CVE-2020-5208 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 3.29% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-5208?

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-2020-5208?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST