# CVE-2020-25196: MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series

> Attackers can bypass authentication on MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O devices via brute force attacks on SSH/Telnet sessions, gaining unauthorized access.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 23 Dec 2020
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fwxv-g739-m9fm

## What is CVE-2020-25196?

CVE-2020-25196 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O, published on 23 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The built-in WEB server for MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O firmware version 2.1 or lower allows SSH/Telnet sessions, which may be vulnerable to brute force attacks to bypass authentication.

Weakness: CWE-307 (Improper Restriction of Excessive Authentication Attempts)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-25196?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Moxa Nport Iaw5000a-I\/O Firmware.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-25196?

No fix has been published for CVE-2020-25196 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2020-25196 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-25196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O

- [CVE-2020-25153](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25153/): MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-25194](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25194/): MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-25198](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25198/): MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2020-25190](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25190/): MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-4204](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-4204/): NPort IAW5000A-I/O Series Hardcoded Credential Vulnerability (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-25196 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-25196 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O, published on 23 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-25196 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: MOXA NPort IAW5000A-I/O. 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-2020-25196/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25196/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-25196
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25196
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-25196

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25196/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.