CVE-2020-8617
HIGHEPSS 100th pctlDescription
Using a specially-crafted message, an attacker may potentially cause a BIND server to reach an inconsistent state if the attacker knows (or successfully guesses) the name of a TSIG key used by the server. Since BIND, by default, configures a local session key even on servers whose configuration does not otherwise make use of it, almost all current BIND servers are vulnerable. In releases of BIND dating from March 2018 and after, an assertion check in tsig.c detects this inconsistent state and deliberately exits. Prior to the introduction of the check the server would continue operating in an inconsistent state, with potentially harmful results.
How to fix
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.
This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-617 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-36222 | High | 7.5 | 78% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2006-5779 | High | 7.5 | 76% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-27212 | High | 7.5 | 64% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-5740 | High | 7.5 | 60% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-28425 | Medium | 5.5 | 55% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2016-8864 | High | 7.5 | 39% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2020-8617?
Published advisories record a fix for 19 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.
Is CVE-2020-8617 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2020-8617 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 93.4% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 100% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2020-8617?
CVE-2020-8617 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2020-8617 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for bind (Amazon), bind-chroot (Amazon), bind-debuginfo (Amazon), bind-devel (Amazon), and 15 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
Embed a live status badge for CVE-2020-8617
Markdown
[](https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2020-8617)HTML
<a href="https://tridentstack.com/cve/CVE-2020-8617"><img src="https://tridentstack.com/cve/badge/CVE-2020-8617.svg" alt="CVE-2020-8617"></a>Check your Linux endpoints for this class of vulnerability
TridentStack Control continuously scans Linux endpoints for known vulnerabilities and deploys the fixes from the same console. 200 endpoints free forever, no credit card.
This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.