HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-20009
CRITICAL

CVE-2016-20009

CWE-787Published: March 11, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A DNS client stack-based buffer overflow in ipdnsc_decode_name() affects Wind River VxWorks 6.5 through 7. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-20009 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
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

Affected Vendors & Products

siemens14 product(s)
sgt-100 firmwaresgt-100sgt-200 firmwaresgt-200sgt-300 firmwaresgt-300sgt-400 firmwaresgt-400sgt-a20 firmwaresgt-a20sgt-a35 firmwaresgt-a35+2
windriver1 product(s)
vxworks
Source: NVD CPE · 15 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://blog.exodusintel.com/2016/08/09/vxworks-execute-my-packets/
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-553445.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://blog.exodusintel.com/2016/08/09/vxworks-execute-my-packets/
ADVISORYhttps://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-553445.pdf

All References (4)

→
https://blog.exodusintel.com/2016/08/09/vxworks-execute-my-packets/Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-553445.pdfThird Party Advisory
→
https://blog.exodusintel.com/2016/08/09/vxworks-execute-my-packets/Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-553445.pdfThird Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-20009
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedMar 11, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

CVE-2009-2466
10.0
CVE-2002-2227
10.0
CVE-2022-30292
10.0
CVE-2019-5049
10.0
CVE-2026-4746
10.0
CVE-2011-1807
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-20009 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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