# CVE-2020-12659: Memory corruption in n/a

> A local attacker with CAP_NET_ADMIN can trigger an out-of-bounds write in the Linux kernel XDP subsystem, potentially leading to code execution or privilege escalation.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 May 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2020-12659, GHSA-wvg9-27w3-xhh7, UBUNTU-CVE-2020-12659

## What is CVE-2020-12659?

CVE-2020-12659 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 5 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel before 5.6.7. xdp_umem_reg in net/xdp/xdp_umem.c has an out-of-bounds write (by a user with the CAP_NET_ADMIN capability) because of a lack of headroom validation.

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-12659?

It affects 8 products.


Products: Linux kernel, Netapp Active Iq Unified Manager, Netapp Aff Baseboard Management Controller, Netapp Cloud Backup, Netapp Hci Baseboard Management Controller, Netapp Solidfire \& Hci Management Node, Netapp Solidfire Baseboard Management Controller, Netapp Steelstore Cloud Integrated Storage.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-12659?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2020-12659 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-12659 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-12659 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 5 May 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-12659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12659/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12659/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-12659
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-12659
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-12659

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-12659/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.