HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-13238
HIGH

CVE-2020-13238

CWE-400Published: June 10, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-R Series PLCs with firmware 33 allow attackers to halt the industrial process by sending an unauthenticated crafted packet over the network, because this denial of service attack consumes excessive CPU time. After halting, physical access to the PLC is required in order to restore production.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-13238 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 availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

mitsubishielectric42 product(s)
melsec iq-r00cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r00cpumelsec iq-r01cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r01cpumelsec iq-r02cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r02cpumelsec iq-r04cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r04cpumelsec iq-r08cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r08cpumelsec iq-r16cpu firmwaremelsec iq-r16cpu+30
Source: NVD CPE · 42 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

ADVISORYhttp://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU97662844/index.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2020-001_en.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-20-161-02
ADVISORYhttp://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU97662844/index.html
ADVISORYhttps://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2020-001_en.pdf
ADVISORYhttps://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-20-161-02

All References (6)

→
http://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU97662844/index.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2020-001_en.pdfVendor Advisory
→
https://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-20-161-02Third Party Advisory · US Government Resource
→
http://jvn.jp/vu/JVNVU97662844/index.htmlThird Party Advisory
→
https://www.mitsubishielectric.com/en/psirt/vulnerability/pdf/2020-001_en.pdfVendor Advisory
→
https://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsa-20-161-02Third Party Advisory · US Government Resource

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-13238
CVSS Score7.5 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-400
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJun 10, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-400)

CVE-2018-16491
9.8
CVE-2024-45166
9.8
CVE-2018-16486
9.8
CVE-2018-16489
9.8
CVE-2023-28507
9.8
CVE-2018-16492
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-13238 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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