HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-12856
CRITICAL

CVE-2020-12856

NVD-CWE-noinfoPublished: May 18, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

OpenTrace, as used in COVIDSafe through v1.0.17, TraceTogether, ABTraceTogether, and other applications on iOS and Android, allows remote attackers to conduct long-term re-identification attacks and possibly have unspecified other impact, because of how Bluetooth is used.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-12856 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.

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

alberta1 product(s)
abtracetogether
health1 product(s)
covidsafe
tracetogether1 product(s)
tracetogether
Source: NVD CPE · 4 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
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Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://covidsafe.watch/issue-register/cve-2020-12856-long-term-tracking-and-possibly-enables-other-bluetooth-based-attack-vectors
ADVISORYhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5a5ersKBH6eG362atALrzuXo3zuZ70qrGomWVEC27U/edit?usp=sharing
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/alwentiu/COVIDSafe-CVE-2020-12856/blob/master/README.md
ADVISORYhttps://covidsafe.watch/issue-register/cve-2020-12856-long-term-tracking-and-possibly-enables-other-bluetooth-based-attack-vectors
ADVISORYhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5a5ersKBH6eG362atALrzuXo3zuZ70qrGomWVEC27U/edit?usp=sharing
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/alwentiu/COVIDSafe-CVE-2020-12856/blob/master/README.md

All References (6)

→
https://covidsafe.watch/issue-register/cve-2020-12856-long-term-tracking-and-possibly-enables-other-bluetooth-based-attack-vectorsThird Party Advisory
→
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5a5ersKBH6eG362atALrzuXo3zuZ70qrGomWVEC27U/edit?usp=sharingThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/alwentiu/COVIDSafe-CVE-2020-12856/blob/master/README.mdThird Party Advisory
→
https://covidsafe.watch/issue-register/cve-2020-12856-long-term-tracking-and-possibly-enables-other-bluetooth-based-attack-vectorsThird Party Advisory
→
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5a5ersKBH6eG362atALrzuXo3zuZ70qrGomWVEC27U/edit?usp=sharingThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/alwentiu/COVIDSafe-CVE-2020-12856/blob/master/README.mdThird Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-12856
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessNVD-CWE-noinfo
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 18, 2020

Related CVEs (NVD-CWE-noinfo)

CVE-2006-3698
10.0
CVE-2012-5088
10.0
CVE-2015-6787
10.0
CVE-2008-5010
10.0
CVE-2012-1533
10.0
CVE-2010-0886
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-12856 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. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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