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CVE-2020-12638

6.8 · MEDIUM

An encryption-bypass issue was discovered on Espressif ESP-IDF devices through 4.2, ESP8266_NONOS_SDK devices through 3.0.3, and ESP8266_RTOS_SDK devices through 3.3.

Published Jul 23, 2020CWE-287EPSS 0.45%

Overview

CVE-2020-12638 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 23, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

An encryption-bypass issue was discovered on Espressif ESP-IDF devices through 4.2, ESP8266_NONOS_SDK devices through 3.0.3, and ESP8266_RTOS_SDK devices through 3.3. Broadcasting forged beacon frames forces a device to change its authentication mode to OPEN, effectively disabling its 802.11 encryption.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

GitHubgithub.com/espressif/ESP8266_NONOS_SDKGitHubgithub.com/espressif/ESP8266_RTOS_SDKGitHubgithub.com/espressif/esp-idfReflbsfilm.at/blog/wpa2-authenticationmode-downgrade-in-espressif-microprocessorsGitHubgithub.com/espressif/ESP8266_NONOS_SDKGitHubgithub.com/espressif/ESP8266_RTOS_SDKGitHubgithub.com/espressif/esp-idfReflbsfilm.at/blog/wpa2-authenticationmode-downgrade-in-espressif-microprocessors

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-12638?

CVE-2020-12638 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on July 23, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2020-12638?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2020-12638?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2020-12638?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2020-12638 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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