Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
- EPSS is 1.94% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2020
CVE-2020-28327High confidence
Asterisk could then crash when the dialog object, or any of its dependent objects, were dereferenced or accessed next by the initial-creation thread
Unknown · Unknown
5.3MediumCVSS 3.1
Within 7 days
Patch availableMedium technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityMedium→Operational priority:High, raised one band.upgradedsince 4 Aug 2024
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict the affected network interface to trusted sources where business-safe.
- Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Distribution package intelligence
5 package statesRelease-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.
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 release | Source package | Vendor state | Fixed version | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine v3.23v3.23 · main | asterisk | Vendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected. | 18.0.1-r0 | Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026 |
| Alpine v3.22v3.22 · main | asterisk | Vendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected. | 18.0.1-r0 | Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026 |
| Alpine v3.21v3.21 · main | asterisk | Vendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected. | 18.0.1-r0 | Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 3 Oct 2026 |
| Debian forkyforky · source | asterisk | Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release. | 1:16.15.0~dfsg-1 | Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026 |
| Debian sidsid · source | asterisk | Vendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release. | 1:16.15.0~dfsg-1 | Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 5 Oct 2026 |
Medium technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Patch available01
What, why and how
A res_pjsip_session crash was discovered in Asterisk Open Source 13.x before 13.37.1, 16.x before 16.14.1, 17.x before 17.8.1, and 18.x before 18.0.1. and Certified Asterisk before 16.8-cert5. Upon receiving a new SIP Invite, Asterisk did not return the created dialog locked or referenced. This caused a gap between the creation of the dialog object, and its next use by the thread that created it. Depending on some off-nominal circumstances and timing, it was possible for another thread to free said dialog in this gap. Asterisk could then crash when the dialog object, or any of its dependent objects, were dereferenced or accessed next by the initial-creation thread. Note, however, that this crash can only occur when using a connection-oriented protocol (e.g., TCP or TLS, but not UDP) for SIP transport. Also, the remote client must be authenticated, or Asterisk must be configured for anonymous calling.
What
A res_pjsip_session crash was discovered in Asterisk Open Source 13.x before 13.37.1, 16.x before 16.14.1, 17.x before 17.8.1, and 18.x before 18.0.1. and Certified Asterisk before 16.8-cert5. Upon receiving a new SIP Invite, Asterisk did not return the created dialog locked or referenced. This caused a gap between the creation of the dialog object, and its next use by the thread that created it. Depending on some off-nominal circumstances and timing, it was possible for another thread to free said dialog in this gap. Asterisk could then crash when the dialog object, or any of its dependent objects, were dereferenced or accessed next by the initial-creation thread. Note, however, that this crash can only occur when using a connection-oriented protocol (e.g., TCP or TLS, but not UDP) for SIP transport. Also, the remote client must be authenticated, or Asterisk must be configured for anonymous calling.
Why
The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may disrupt the affected service.
What
A res_pjsip_session crash was discovered in Asterisk Open Source 13.x before 13.37.1, 16.x before 16.14.1, 17.x before 17.8.1, and 18.x before 18.0.1. and Certified Asterisk before 16.8-cert5. Upon receiving a new SIP Invite, Asterisk did not return the created dialog locked or referenced. This caused a gap between the creation of the dialog object, and its next use by the thread that created it. Depending on some off-nominal circumstances and timing, it was possible for another thread to free said dialog in this gap. Asterisk could then crash when the dialog object, or any of its dependent objects, were dereferenced or accessed next by the initial-creation thread. Note, however, that this crash can only occur when using a connection-oriented protocol (e.g., TCP or TLS, but not UDP) for SIP transport. Also, the remote client must be authenticated, or Asterisk must be configured for anonymous calling.
Why
The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.
How
An attacker operating through a network path may attempt exploitation with low privileges. 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 No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.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 Reference recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.
- Likely attack path
- a network path → Improper Resource Shutdown or Release → disrupt the affected service
- Attack surface
- Network
- Privileges required
- Low: a basic authenticated account is required
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
- 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-404 ↗
CWE-404: Improper Resource Shutdown or Release. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.
- 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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HCommon 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.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level 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.
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. - Patch available
- Affected
- n/a
- Action
- Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
- 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 Nov 2020 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 16:33 UTC · CWE-404 · Improper Resource Shutdown or Release
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2020-20790
Product sourceUnavailable
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
No material field changes have been recorded since change tracking began. Routine source refreshes and cosmetic edits are intentionally excluded.
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
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.