CVE-2020-14397: 
NixOS vulnerability analysis and mitigation

Overview

CVE-2020-14397 is a vulnerability discovered in LibVNCServer before version 0.9.13, affecting the libvncserver/rfbregion.c file. The vulnerability was disclosed on June 17, 2020, and involves a NULL pointer dereference issue (CVE, Ubuntu).

Technical details

The vulnerability exists in the libvncserver/rfbregion.c file where there are missing NULL pointer checks in several functions handling span operations. The issue was fixed by adding proper NULL pointer validation checks in the affected functions (GitHub Commit). The vulnerability has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (High) (Ubuntu).

Impact

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow a remote attacker to cause the application to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition (USN-4434-1).

Exploitability

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or user interaction. The attack complexity is considered low, making it relatively straightforward to exploit (Ubuntu).

Mitigation and workarounds

The vulnerability has been fixed in LibVNCServer version 0.9.13. Users are advised to upgrade to this version or apply appropriate security patches. Multiple Linux distributions have released security updates to address this vulnerability, including Ubuntu (0.9.12+dfsg-9ubuntu0.2 for 20.04), Debian (0.9.11+dfsg-1.3~deb9u5), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (Debian Advisory, USN-4434-1).

Additional resources


Source: This report was generated using AI

Related NixOS vulnerabilities:

CVE ID

Severity

Score

Technologies

Component name

CISA KEV exploit

Has fix

Published date

CVE-2026-103678HIGH8.1
  • NixOS logoNixOS
  • tnef
NoNoOct 01, 2026
CVE-2026-103680MEDIUM6.5
  • NixOS logoNixOS
  • tnef
NoNoOct 01, 2026
CVE-2026-103679MEDIUM6.5
  • NixOS logoNixOS
  • tnef
NoNoOct 01, 2026
CVE-2026-103497MEDIUM5.5
  • YouTrack logoYouTrack
  • cpe:2.3:a:jetbrains:youtrack
NoYesOct 01, 2026
CVE-2026-103496MEDIUM5.4
  • YouTrack logoYouTrack
  • youtrack
NoYesOct 01, 2026

Free Vulnerability Assessment

Benchmark your Cloud Security Posture

Evaluate your cloud security practices across 9 security domains to benchmark your risk level and identify gaps in your defenses.

Request assessment

Get a personalized demo

Ready to see Wiz in action?

"Best User Experience I have ever seen, provides full visibility to cloud workloads."
David EstlickCISO
"Wiz provides a single pane of glass to see what is going on in our cloud environments."
Adam FletcherChief Security Officer
"We know that if Wiz identifies something as critical, it actually is."
Greg PoniatowskiHead of Threat and Vulnerability Management