HIGH CVSS 7.5
Published: 2020-11-30

CVE-2020-16850

mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware Security Advisory (CVE-2020-16850)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2020-16850 impacting mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-R Series PLCs with firmware 49 allow an unauthenticated attacker to halt the industrial process by sending a crafted packet over the network. This denial of service attack exposes Improper Input Validation. After halting, physical access to the PLC is required in order to restore production, and the device state is lost. This is related to R04CPU, RJ71GF11-T2, R04CPU, and RJ71GF11-T2.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product mitsubishielectric / r00cpu_firmware
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-20

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2020-16850 impacting mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2020-16850.yaml
id: cve-2020-16850

info:
  name: mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2020-16850 affecting mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware.
    Evaluation: Mitsubishi MELSEC iQ-R Series PLCs with firmware 49 allow an unauthenticated attacker to halt the industrial process by sending a crafted packet over ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2020-16850
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2020-16850
    cwe-id: CWE-20
  tags: cve,cve-2020-16850,mitsubishielectric,r00cpu_firmware,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "r00cpu_firmware"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2020-16850.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2020-16850
# Target: mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware | CVSS: 7.5 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2020-16850 (mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2020-16850.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2020-16850
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install r00cpu_firmware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade r00cpu_firmware 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update r00cpu_firmware

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i r00cpu_firmware 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i r00cpu_firmware

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2020-16850 in mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mitsubishielectric r00cpu_firmware packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2020-16850?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2020-16850?

CVE-2020-16850 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.5
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2020-16850
Weakness CWE-20
Vendor mitsubishielectric
Product r00cpu_firmware
Published 2020-11-30
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H