CVE-2017-20204 Vulnerability Analysis & Exploit Details

CVE-2017-20204
Vulnerability Scoring

Analysis In Progress
Analysis In Progress

Attack Complexity Details

  • Attack Complexity:
    Attack Complexity Analysis In Progress
  • Attack Vector:
    Attack Vector Under Analysis
  • Privileges Required: None
    No authentication is required for exploitation.
  • Scope:
    Impact is confined to the initially vulnerable component.
  • User Interaction: None
    No user interaction is necessary for exploitation.

CVE-2017-20204 Details

Status: Awaiting Analysis

Last updated: 🕒 16 Oct 2025, 15:29 UTC
Originally published on: 🕑 15 Oct 2025, 02:15 UTC

Time between publication and last update: 1 days

CVSS Release:

CVE-2017-20204 Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2017-20204: DBLTek GoIP devices (models GoIP 1, 4, 8, 16, and 32) contain an undocumented vendor backdoor in the Telnet administrative interface that allows remote authentication as an undocumented user via a proprietary challenge–response scheme which is fundamentally flawed. Because the challenge response can be computed from the challenge itself, a remote attacker can authenticate without knowledge of a secret and obtain a root shell on the device. This can lead to persistent remote code execution, full device compromise, and arbitrary control of the device and any managed services. The firmware used within these devices was updated in December 2016 to make this vulnerability more complex to exploit. However, it is unknown if DBLTek has taken steps to fully mitigate.

Assessing the Risk of CVE-2017-20204

Access Complexity Graph

The exploitability of CVE-2017-20204 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).

Exploitability Analysis for CVE-2017-20204

No exploitability data is available for CVE-2017-20204.

Understanding AC and PR

A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.

Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.

Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.

CVSS Score Breakdown Chart

Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2017-20204, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.

CIA Impact Analysis

Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2017-20204, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.

  • Confidentiality: None
    CVE-2017-20204 does not compromise confidentiality.
  • Integrity: None
    CVE-2017-20204 does not impact data integrity.
  • Availability: None
    CVE-2017-20204 does not affect system availability.

CVE-2017-20204 References

External References

CWE Common Weakness Enumeration

CWE-1242

CAPEC Common Attack Pattern Enumeration and Classification

  • Functionality Misuse CAPEC-212 An adversary leverages a legitimate capability of an application in such a way as to achieve a negative technical impact. The system functionality is not altered or modified but used in a way that was not intended. This is often accomplished through the overuse of a specific functionality or by leveraging functionality with design flaws that enables the adversary to gain access to unauthorized, sensitive data.
  • Using Unpublished Interfaces or Functionality CAPEC-36 An adversary searches for and invokes interfaces or functionality that the target system designers did not intend to be publicly available. If interfaces fail to authenticate requests, the attacker may be able to invoke functionality they are not authorized for.

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