HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2020-24718
HIGH

CVE-2020-24718

CWE-862Published: September 25, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.2
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

bhyve, as used in FreeBSD through 12.1 and illumos (e.g., OmniOS CE through r151034 and OpenIndiana through Hipster 2020.04), does not properly restrict VMCS and VMCB read/write operations, as demonstrated by a root user in a container on an Intel system, who can gain privileges by modifying VMCS_HOST_RIP.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2020-24718 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires high privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

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 8.2.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.High
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

freebsd1 product(s)
freebsd
netapp1 product(s)
clustered data ontap
omniosce1 product(s)
omnios
openindiana1 product(s)
openindiana
Source: NVD CPE · 8 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://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate/blob/84971882a96ac0fecd538b02208054a872ff8af3/usr/src/uts/i86pc/io/vmm/intel/vmcs.c#L246-L249
ADVISORYhttps://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-20:28.bhyve_vmcs.asc
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201016-0002/
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate/blob/84971882a96ac0fecd538b02208054a872ff8af3/usr/src/uts/i86pc/io/vmm/intel/vmcs.c#L246-L249
ADVISORYhttps://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-20:28.bhyve_vmcs.asc
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201016-0002/

All References (6)

→
https://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate/blob/84971882a96ac0fecd538b02208054a872ff8af3/usr/src/uts/i86pc/io/vmm/intel/vmcs.c#L246-L249Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-20:28.bhyve_vmcs.ascVendor Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201016-0002/Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate/blob/84971882a96ac0fecd538b02208054a872ff8af3/usr/src/uts/i86pc/io/vmm/intel/vmcs.c#L246-L249Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.FreeBSD.org/advisories/FreeBSD-SA-20:28.bhyve_vmcs.ascVendor Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201016-0002/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2020-24718
CVSS Score8.2 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-862
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedSep 25, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-862)

CVE-2026-2031
10.0
CVE-2025-30416
10.0
CVE-2025-45854
10.0
CVE-2024-52416
10.0
CVE-2024-6500
10.0
CVE-2024-2086
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2020-24718 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.
← All Vulnerabilities·Search for CVE-2020-24718·NVD