CVE-2020-5209
5.0 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2020-5209 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting nethack nethack. It was published on January 28, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.0 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.0, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
In NetHack before 3.6.5, unknown options starting with -de and -i can cause a buffer overflow resulting in a crash or remote code execution/privilege escalation. This vulnerability affects systems that have NetHack installed suid/sgid and shared systems that allow users to influence command line options. Users should upgrade to NetHack 3.6.5.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from nethack. Update nethack to the latest patched version. 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.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| nethack | nethack | >= 0, < 3.6.5 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-5209?
CVE-2020-5209 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting nethack nethack. It was published on January 28, 2020 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.0 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2020-5209?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.0, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2020-5209?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from nethack. Update nethack to the latest patched version. 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-2020-5209?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2020-5209 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
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