CVE-2020-8597

CRITICALEPSS 97th pctl

9.8

CVSS v3

Description

eap.c in pppd in ppp 2.4.2 through 2.4.8 has an rhostname buffer overflow in the eap_request and eap_response functions.

CWE-120Classic Buffer Overflow

How to fix

Remediation Available

lwipDebian

Fixed in:2.1.2+dfsg1-5CVE-2020-8597

liblwip-devUbuntu

Fixed in:2.1.2+dfsg1-4ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.1.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.2.0+dfsg1-6.1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

liblwip-docUbuntu

Fixed in:2.1.2+dfsg1-4ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.1.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.2.0+dfsg1-6.1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

liblwip0Ubuntu

Fixed in:2.1.2+dfsg1-4ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.1.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

liblwip0t64Ubuntu

Fixed in:2.2.0+dfsg1-6.1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

lwipUbuntu

Fixed in:2.1.2+dfsg1-4ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.1.3+dfsg1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

Fixed in:2.2.0+dfsg1-6.1ubuntu0.1~esm1USN-8423-1

pppUbuntu

Fixed in:2.4.5-5.1ubuntu2.3+esm1USN-4288-2

Fixed in:2.4.7-1+2ubuntu1.16.04.2USN-4288-1

Fixed in:2.4.7-2+2ubuntu1.2USN-4288-1

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredNone

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

19.93%probability of exploitation in 30 days

97thpercentile

Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 97% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-120 (Classic Buffer Overflow) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2014-0195	Medium	6.8	100%	-	Fix
CVE-2017-7269	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV	-
CVE-2019-11043	High	8.7	100%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2011-4862	High	10.0	95%	-	Fix
CVE-2007-5659	High	7.8	94%	KEV	Fix
CVE-2022-3786	High	7.5	92%	-	Fix

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2020-8597?

Published advisories record a fix for 7 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2020-8597 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2020-8597 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 19.9% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 97% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2020-8597?

CVE-2020-8597 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2020-8597 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for lwip (Debian), liblwip-dev (Ubuntu), liblwip-doc (Ubuntu), liblwip0 (Ubuntu), and 3 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-12-03.