Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This issue affects Slurm, a workload scheduler commonly used in HPC environments. The flaw is a buffer overflow in the PMIx MPI plugin’s RPC handling. The sources name fixed Slurm version lines but do not provide CVSS, impact details, or confirmed exploitation evidence.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted infrastructure maintenance priority for Slurm/HPC environments. There is no sourced active exploitation signal, but affected scheduler infrastructure can be business-critical and fixed version thresholds are available.
Technical view
CVE-2020-27745 is described as an RPC buffer overflow in Slurm’s PMIx MPI plugin. Affected versions are Slurm before 19.05.8 and Slurm 20.x before 20.02.6. The bundle does not identify specific attack prerequisites, affected configurations, CWE, or exploitability details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in environments running Slurm with the PMIx MPI plugin, especially HPC clusters. Confirm installed Slurm versions and whether PMIx integration is enabled. The source bundle does not identify affected operating systems beyond Debian advisories referencing Slurm security updates.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of active exploitation. Because the issue is in RPC handling, network reachability and Slurm trust boundaries matter, but the sources do not define a concrete attacker model.
Researcher notes
Evidence is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, PoC status, or detailed impact is included. Analysis should stay anchored to the named buffer overflow, affected version ranges, PMIx plugin context, and Debian/SchedMD advisory references.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Slurm to 19.05.8, 20.02.6, or a later fixed release.
- Apply Debian security updates if using Debian-packaged Slurm.
- Review SchedMD and distribution advisories for environment-specific guidance.
- Restrict Slurm control and compute-node RPC exposure to trusted networks.
- Disable unused PMIx integration if vendor guidance supports doing so.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Slurm versions across controller, database, login, and compute nodes.
- Confirm whether the PMIx MPI plugin is installed or enabled.
- Check Debian advisory coverage for installed package versions.
- Review Slurm network exposure and access controls around RPC services.
- Document any clusters still below the fixed version thresholds.
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
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CVE-2020-27745 mapping review
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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://www.schedmd.com/news.phpCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- DSA-4841CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
- [debian-lts-announce] 20220117 [SECURITY] [DLA 2886-1] slurm-llnl security updateCVE reference · mailing-list, x_refsource_MLIST
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.