Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw affects wolfSSL clients before 4.5.0 using TLS 1.3. A network-positioned attacker could impersonate servers and read or change traffic that users expect to be encrypted. The public record does not show active exploitation, but the business impact is serious where wolfSSL protects sensitive connections.
Executive priority
Treat this as high priority for systems using wolfSSL to protect sensitive client connections. It is not a broad internet server takeover issue, but it can undermine encrypted communications where an attacker can intercept traffic.
Technical view
CVE-2020-24613 is an incorrect TLS 1.3 client state-machine implementation in SanityCheckTls13MsgReceived() in tls13.c. wolfSSL mishandles server data in the WAIT_CERT_CR state, enabling a privileged network man-in-the-middle to impersonate TLS 1.3 servers to affected clients.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to clients or products embedding wolfSSL before 4.5.0 and using TLS 1.3. The CVE record does not enumerate affected downstream products, so exposure depends on SBOMs, vendor firmware notices, and build dependency records.
Exploitation context
Sources describe a man-in-the-middle scenario requiring a privileged network position. KEV is false in the provided bundle, and no cited source states active exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
The affected-product metadata in the CVE bundle is incomplete, listing vendor and product as n/a. Focus validation on wolfSSL library version, TLS 1.3 client behavior, and downstream products that statically embed wolfSSL.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade wolfSSL to version 4.5.0 or later where feasible.
- Check wolfSSL and downstream vendor advisories for product-specific fixes.
- Prioritize internet, partner, VPN, and sensitive-data client paths using TLS 1.3.
- Track embedded firmware and statically linked libraries, not only package-manager dependencies.
Validation and detection
- Inventory applications and devices that include wolfSSL.
- Confirm the embedded wolfSSL version is before 4.5.0 or remediated.
- Determine whether affected clients negotiate TLS 1.3.
- Review SBOMs, build manifests, and firmware release notes for wolfSSL usage.
- After remediation, verify updated binaries or vendor firmware versions are deployed.
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.
CVE-2020-24613 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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 and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://research.nccgroup.com/2020/08/24/technical-advisory-wolfssl-tls-1-3-client-man-in-the-middle-attack/CVE 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.