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Full vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2020-10704High confidence

A flaw was found when using samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller

Red Hat · samba

7.5HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Within 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • The selected CVSS metric records a network-reachable, unauthenticated path with no user interaction.
  • EPSS is 3.54% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Apply the linked authoritative mitigation while planning the permanent fix.
  • Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
  • Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Red Hat samba and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Recheck the vendor advisory before scheduling a change because no verified fixed version is currently retained.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Alpine, Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

7 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Alpine v3.23v3.23 · mainsambaVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.4.12.2-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.22v3.22 · mainsambaVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.4.12.2-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Alpine v3.21v3.21 · mainsambaVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.4.12.2-r0Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcesambaVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2:4.12.3+dfsg-2Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcesambaVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2:4.12.3+dfsg-2Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcesambaVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2:4.12.3+dfsg-2Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcesambaVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2:4.12.3+dfsg-2Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2020-3135

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionWithin 7 days

High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.

Mitigation available
01

What, why and how

A flaw was found when using samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller. Due to the way samba handles certain requests as an Active Directory Domain Controller LDAP server, an unauthorized user can cause a stack overflow leading to a denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability. This issue affects all samba versions before 4.10.15, before 4.11.8 and before 4.12.2.

What

A flaw was found when using samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller. Due to the way samba handles certain requests as an Active Directory Domain Controller LDAP server, an unauthorized user can cause a stack overflow leading to a denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability. This issue affects all samba versions before 4.10.15, before 4.11.8 and before 4.12.2.

Why

The product does not properly control the amount of recursion that takes place, consuming excessive resources, such as allocated memory or the program stack.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

What

A flaw was found when using samba as an Active Directory Domain Controller. Due to the way samba handles certain requests as an Active Directory Domain Controller LDAP server, an unauthorized user can cause a stack overflow leading to a denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability. This issue affects all samba versions before 4.10.15, before 4.11.8 and before 4.12.2.

Why

The product does not properly control the amount of recursion that takes place, consuming excessive resources, such as allocated memory or the program stack.

How

An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
None recorded

No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.

Likely attack path
a network path → Uncontrolled Recursion → disrupt the affected service
Attack surface
Network
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-674 ↗

CWE-674: Uncontrolled Recursion. The product does not properly control the amount of recursion that takes place, consuming excessive resources, such as allocated memory or the program stack.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVNetworkAttack vector: The vulnerable component can be reached over a network.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CNoneConfidentiality impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
No specific living-off-the-land technique is confirmed in the structured sources. Monitor normal administration tools for activity inconsistent with the affected service's baseline.
NetworkUnauthenticatedDenial of serviceCWE-674
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2026-3123Samba: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service

Ein entfernter, anonymer Angreifer kann mehrere Schwachstellen in Samba ausnutzen, um einen Denial of Service Angriff durchzuführen.

Official advisory ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV20-125Samba security advisory

On 28 April 2020 Samba released security updates to address vulnerabilities affecting its product. Successful exploitation of one of these vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2020-10704, could allow an actor to cause a denial of service on the device. https://www.samba.org/samba/history/security.html

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20200513Security Bulletin 13 May 2020

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 13 May 2020, published on 13 May 2020. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2020-AVI-246Multiples vulnérabilités dans Samba

De multiples vulnérabilités ont été découvertes dans Samba. Elles permettent à un attaquant de provoquer un déni de service à distance.

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2020-005216samba における再帰制御に関する脆弱性

samba には、再帰制御に関する脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5125Samba 취약점 보안 업데이트 권고

Samba AD DC에서 LDAP 패킷 처리가 미흡하여 메모리 오버플로우로 인해 발생하는 서비스 거부 취약점(CVE-2020-10704) [3]

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Mitigation available
Affected
samba: All versions before 4.10.15, All versions before 4.11.8, All versions before 4.12.2
Fixed
No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
Action
The Cyber Centre encourages users and administrators to review the Samba Security Releases webpage and apply the necessary updates:
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. If business-safe, reduce exposure to the affected interface and allow only trusted sources until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 6 May 2020 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 11:06 UTC · CWE-674 · Uncontrolled Recursion

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-3135
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCNA
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Mitigation available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Mitigation available
    Canadian Centre for Cyber Security ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Remediation guidance recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-3135↗Canadian Centre for Cyber Security remediation guidance↗Vendor advisory↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2020-10704 · cve.blacktree.nl