HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-16088
CRITICAL

CVE-2020-16088

CWE-287Published: July 28, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

iked in OpenIKED, as used in OpenBSD through 6.7, allows authentication bypass because ca.c has the wrong logic for checking whether a public key matches.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-16088 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-287): Authentication bypass vulnerabilities allow attackers to access protected resources without valid credentials.

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

openbsd1 product(s)
openbsd
Source: NVD CPE · 1 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

PATCHhttps://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7afb2d41c6d373cf965285840b85c45011357115
PATCHhttps://github.com/xcllnt/openiked/commits/master
PATCHhttps://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7afb2d41c6d373cf965285840b85c45011357115
PATCHhttps://github.com/xcllnt/openiked/commits/master
ADVISORYhttps://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/6.7/common/014_iked.patch.sig
ADVISORYhttps://www.openiked.org/security.html
ADVISORYhttps://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/6.7/common/014_iked.patch.sig
ADVISORYhttps://www.openiked.org/security.html

All References (8)

→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/6.7/common/014_iked.patch.sigExploit · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7afb2d41c6d373cf965285840b85c45011357115Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/xcllnt/openiked/commits/masterPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.openiked.org/security.htmlVendor Advisory
→
https://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/patches/6.7/common/014_iked.patch.sigExploit · Vendor Advisory
→
https://github.com/openbsd/src/commit/7afb2d41c6d373cf965285840b85c45011357115Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/xcllnt/openiked/commits/masterPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.openiked.org/security.htmlVendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-16088
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-287
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 28, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-287)

CVE-2008-6916
10.0
CVE-2010-4279
10.0
CVE-2019-16649
10.0
CVE-2013-7282
10.0
CVE-2019-12643
10.0
CVE-2025-5597
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-16088 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.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2020-16088·NVD