CVE-2020-36961
Published: 28 January 2026
Summary
CVE-2020-36961 is a high-severity Stack-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-121) vulnerability in 10 Strike (inferred from references). Its CVSS base score is 8.4 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked at the 36.9th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
CVE-2020-36961 is a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability (CWE-121) in the exception handling mechanism of 10-Strike Network Inventory Explorer version 8.65. The flaw occurs when processing a specially crafted malicious file that includes 209 bytes of padding followed by a specially constructed Structured Exception Handler (SEH), enabling remote attackers to execute arbitrary code.
Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability without authentication or user interaction, as reflected in its critical CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H). Exploitation requires low complexity and allows attackers to achieve high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromises, potentially leading to full remote code execution on affected systems running the vulnerable software.
References include the vendor site at https://www.10-strike.com, a public proof-of-concept exploit at https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/49134, and a VulnCheck advisory at https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/strike-network-inventory-explorer-buffer-overflow-seh. Security practitioners should review these sources for any available patches, workarounds, or detailed remediation guidance.
The availability of a public exploit on Exploit-DB highlights the risk of real-world exploitation against unpatched instances of this network inventory tool.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2020-30888
Vulnerability details
10-Strike Network Inventory Explorer 8.65 contains a buffer overflow vulnerability in exception handling that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. Attackers can craft a malicious file with 209 bytes of padding and a specially constructed Structured Exception Handler to…
more
trigger code execution.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI
Why these techniques?
The vulnerability is a remote stack-based buffer overflow in a network inventory application, enabling unauthenticated attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution over the network without user interaction, directly mapping to T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application.
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Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Requires timely patching and remediation of the stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability in 10-Strike Network Inventory Explorer to eliminate the remote code execution risk.
Implements memory protections like ASLR and DEP that directly thwart exploitation of stack-based buffer overflows via SEH overwrites.
Enforces validation of file inputs to block specially crafted malicious files with padding and SEH structures that trigger the buffer overflow.