Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This CVE describes a low-severity authentication bypass in several Philips ultrasound systems. A locally positioned, already low-privileged attacker could use an alternate service path that does not require the expected authentication, potentially viewing or modifying information. The sources do not show active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a controlled medical-device exposure rather than an emergency internet-facing issue. Prioritize asset confirmation, vendor guidance, and access control review, especially where affected ultrasound systems are shared or serviced by multiple parties.
Technical view
CVE-2020-14477 is CWE-288, authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel. The CVSS 3.1 score is 3.6: local attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and low confidentiality and integrity impact with no availability impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to healthcare environments running Philips Ultrasound ClearVue 3.2 and prior, CX 5.0.2 and prior, EPIQ/Affiniti VM5.0 and prior, Sparq 3.0.2 and prior, or Xperius all versions.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector indicates local access, high complexity, and required low privileges. CISA KEV status is false in the provided bundle, and no supplied source states that exploitation is active in the wild.
Researcher notes
The source data names affected product families and CVSS characteristics but does not provide exploit detail or a confirmed patch path in the supplied bundle. Avoid assuming network exploitability; the published vector is local with high attack complexity.
Mitigation direction
- Check Philips and CISA advisory guidance for product-specific remediation.
- Inventory affected ultrasound systems and software versions.
- Restrict nonessential local and service access to affected devices.
- Coordinate changes through clinical engineering and vendor support.
- Monitor Philips/CISA updates for newer guidance.
Validation and detection
- Identify Philips ultrasound models deployed in clinical environments.
- Record software versions for each ClearVue, CX, EPIQ/Affiniti, Sparq, and Xperius system.
- Compare versions against the affected ranges in the CVE description.
- Review who has local or service-level access to affected devices.
- Confirm remediation status with Philips support or advisory documentation.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-288: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2020-14477 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.6 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N12.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.6LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.us-cert.gov/ics/advisories/icsma-20-177-01CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel
Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.