CVE-2020-15791: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8qxp-fp5j-5wxj
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-522
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-15791 is a LOW (CVSS 6.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-15791 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-15791
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8qxp-fp5j-5wxj
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Adjacent (AV:A)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-15791

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-15791, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials, where the product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-300 CPU family (incl. related ET200 CPUs and SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC S7-400 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions). The authentication protocol between a client and a PLC via port 102/tcp (ISO-TSAP) insufficiently protects the transmitted password. This could allow an attacker that is able to intercept the network traffic to obtain valid PLC credentials.

References

NVD — CVE-2020-15791 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15791
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-381684.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-15791?
CVE-2020-15791 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2020-15791?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-15791?
CVE-2020-15791 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-15791?
CVE-2020-15791 is classified under CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials (The product transmits or stores authentication credentials, but it uses an insecure method that is susceptible to unauthorized interception and/or retrieval.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-15791?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-8qxp-fp5j-5wxj",
  "modified" : "2026-06-02T21:30:30Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:27:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-15791" ],
  "details" : "A vulnerability has been identified in SIMATIC S7-300 CPU family (incl. related ET200 CPUs and SIPLUS variants) (All versions), SIMATIC S7-400 CPU family (incl. SIPLUS variants) (All versions). The authentication protocol between a client and a PLC via port 102/tcp (ISO-TSAP) insufficiently protects the transmitted password. This could allow an attacker that is able to intercept the network traffic to obtain valid PLC credentials.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-15791"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-381684.pdf"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-522" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-09T19:15:00Z"
  }
}