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CVE Record

CVE-2018-20587: Bitcoin Core 0.12.0 through 0.17.1 and Bitcoin Knots 0.12.0 through 0.17.x before 0.17.1.knots20181229 have...

Bitcoin Core 0.12.0 through 0.17.1 and Bitcoin Knots 0.12.0 through 0.17.x before 0.17.1.knots20181229 have Incorrect Access Control. Local users can exploit this to steal currency by binding the RPC IPv4 localhost port, and forwarding requests to the IPv6 localhost port.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

Affected Bitcoin node software could let someone already on the same machine abuse local RPC handling to steal currency. The sources describe a local attack, not a remote unauthenticated internet attack. Business urgency depends on whether affected Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots versions are still running on shared or compromised hosts.

Executive priority

Prioritize review for any host managing real Bitcoin funds, especially shared servers, developer machines, or compromised endpoints. The impact can be direct financial theft, but the known prerequisite is local access rather than broad internet exposure.

Technical view

Bitcoin Core 0.12.0 through 0.17.1 and Bitcoin Knots 0.12.0 through 0.17.x before 0.17.1.knots20181229 had incorrect access control around localhost RPC behavior. A local user could abuse IPv4-to-IPv6 localhost RPC forwarding to access sensitive wallet operations.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to systems running the named affected versions where untrusted local users or processes can interact with localhost networking. Systems not running Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots, or not in the affected version ranges, are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The CVE states local users can exploit this to steal currency. The bundle does not cite CISA KEV inclusion or other evidence of active exploitation in the wild, so active exploitation should not be assumed from these sources.

Researcher notes

The public bundle gives affected ranges and the local RPC forwarding issue but lacks CVSS, CWE, detailed patch mapping for Bitcoin Core, and independent exploitation evidence. Treat product and version claims narrowly and verify against vendor advisories before final remediation decisions.

Mitigation direction

  • Identify any Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots deployments and record exact versions.
  • Upgrade Bitcoin Knots to 0.17.1.knots20181229 or later where applicable.
  • For Bitcoin Core, check project guidance for the corrected release path.
  • Restrict local shell access on hosts running wallet-enabled nodes.
  • Review RPC exposure and local port-binding controls on affected hosts.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory installed Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots versions.
  • Confirm no affected versions remain on production or custody hosts.
  • Verify RPC is not exposed beyond intended localhost behavior.
  • Check hosts for untrusted local users or services.
  • Review wallet node logs for suspicious local RPC activity.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
4

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.

ATT&CK lookup starting points

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CVE-2018-20587 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.