Heap-based buffer overflow in libIEC61850 - CVE-2020-15158
Published: August 25, 2020 / Updated: June 18, 2026
Vulnerability identifier: #VU134846
CSH Severity: High
CVSS v4: 9.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N]
CVE-ID: CVE-2020-15158
CWE-ID: CWE-122
Exploitation vector: Remote access
Exploit availability:
No public exploit available
Vulnerability details
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.
The vulnerability exists due to integer underflow leading to a heap-based buffer overflow in cotp.c when processing a COTP message with an invalid length field value less than 4. A remote attacker can send a specially crafted COTP message to execute arbitrary code.
The issue can also cause an application crash on affected platforms.
Affected software
libIEC61850
How to mitigate CVE-2020-15158
Install security update from vendor's website.
libIEC61850 - update to 1.5.0