# CVE-2020-16898: Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

> Remote attackers can execute arbitrary code on Windows systems by sending specially crafted ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 16 Oct 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8vrv-2fm5-wpvr

## What is CVE-2020-16898?

CVE-2020-16898 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, published on 16 Oct 2020. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows TCP/IP stack improperly handles ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the ability to execute code on the target server or client.</p>
<p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to send specially crafted ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets to a remote Windows computer.</p>
<p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows TCP/IP stack handles ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets.</p>

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-16898?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-16898?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-16898 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-16898 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-16898 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- CVE-2020-16898 (Bad Neighbor) Microsoft Windows TCP/IP Vulnerability Detection Logic and Rule (github_poc): https://github.com/advanced-threat-research/CVE-2020-16898
- HoneyPoC 2.0: Proof-of-Concept (PoC) script to exploit IPv6 (CVE-2020-16898). (github_poc): https://github.com/ZephrFish/CVE-2020-16898
- PoC BSOD for CVE-2020-16898 (badneighbor) (github_poc): https://github.com/0xeb-bp/cve-2020-16898
- https://github.com/momika233/CVE-2020-16898-exp (github_poc): https://github.com/momika233/CVE-2020-16898-exp
- CVE-2020-16898 Windows TCP/IP远程代码执行漏洞 EXP&POC (github_poc): https://github.com/komomon/CVE-2020-16898--EXP-POC
- A network detection package for CVE-2020-16898 (Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability) (github_poc): https://github.com/corelight/CVE-2020-16898

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 10

- [CVE-2015-2426](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2426/): Microsoft Windows Adobe Type Manager Library Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-1769](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1769/): Microsoft Windows Mount Manager Privilege Escalation (medium 6.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-1467](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1467/): Windows Hard Link Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2021-26424](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-26424/): Windows TCP/IP Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.9)
- [CVE-2021-28476](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28476/): Windows Hyper-V Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (critical 9.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-16898 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-16898 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, published on 16 Oct 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-2020-16898 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows 10. 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-2020-16898/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16898/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-16898
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-16898
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-16898

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-16898/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
