CVE-2020-16898

HIGH

Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016/2019 - Remote Code Execution via ICMPv6 Router Advertisement

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 15 public exploits for CVE-2020-16898. PoCs published by advanced-threat-research, ZephrFish, 0xeb-bp.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This repository contains a Lua script for detecting CVE-2020-16898, a critical vulnerability in the Windows IPv6 stack. The script parses ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets to identify malformed RDNSS options that could trigger a BSOD or potential RCE.

Description

<p>A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows TCP/IP stack improperly handles ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the ability to execute code on the target server or client.</p> <p>To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to send specially crafted ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets to a remote Windows computer.</p> <p>The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows TCP/IP stack handles ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets.</p>

Exploits (15)

nomisec WORKING POC 209 stars
by advanced-threat-research · poc
https://github.com/advanced-threat-research/CVE-2020-16898

This repository contains a Lua script for detecting CVE-2020-16898, a critical vulnerability in the Windows IPv6 stack. The script parses ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets to identify malformed RDNSS options that could trigger a BSOD or potential RCE.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10, Windows Server 2019 (IPv6 stack)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Ability to send crafted ICMPv6 packets
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SUSPICIOUS 22 stars
by ZephrFish · poc
https://github.com/ZephrFish/CVE-2020-16898

The repository claims to be a PoC for CVE-2020-16898 but only provides a binary without source code. The README includes a warning about not trusting binaries and references unrelated exploits, raising suspicion.

Classification
Suspicious 80%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Unknown
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: unknown
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 21 stars
by 0xeb-bp · poc
https://github.com/0xeb-bp/cve-2020-16898

This PoC exploits CVE-2020-16898 (Bad Neighbor) by crafting malicious IPv6 Router Advertisement packets with smuggled options to trigger a stack overflow in Windows 10 version 2004, resulting in a BSOD.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10 version 2004
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Target must be running Windows 10 version 2004 · IPv6 connectivity
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 19 stars
by momika233 · poc
https://github.com/momika233/CVE-2020-16898-exp

This PoC exploits CVE-2020-16898, a Windows TCP/IP RCE vulnerability, by sending malformed ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets with fragmented extensions to trigger a BSOD or potential code execution. The exploit leverages Scapy to craft and send the packets.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows TCP/IP Stack (Windows 10, Windows Server 2019, etc.)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Target system with IPv6 enabled
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 13 stars
by komomon · poc
https://github.com/komomon/CVE-2020-16898--EXP-POC

This repository contains multiple PoC exploits for CVE-2020-16898, a Windows TCP/IP RCE vulnerability (Bad Neighbor). The exploits leverage crafted IPv6 packets with fragmented ICMPv6 Router Advertisement messages to trigger a stack overflow, leading to a BSOD or potential RCE.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10 (version 2004 and earlier)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target's local link IPv6 address · Network connectivity to the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP 9 stars
by corelight · poc
https://github.com/corelight/CVE-2020-16898

This repository provides a Zeek-based detection package for CVE-2020-16898, a Windows TCP/IP RCE vulnerability. It includes scripts to identify exploit attempts but does not contain actual exploit code.

Classification
Writeup 100%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows TCP/IP Stack
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Zeek installed for detection
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 9 stars
by jiansiting · poc
https://github.com/jiansiting/cve-2020-16898

This PoC exploits CVE-2020-16898 (Bad Neighbor) by sending malformed IPv6 Router Advertisement packets with fragmented extensions to trigger a BSOD on vulnerable Windows systems. The script uses Scapy to craft and send the packets.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1709 and later, Windows Server 2019 and later
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Target system with IPv6 enabled
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 5 stars
by komomon · poc
https://github.com/komomon/CVE-2020-16898-EXP-POC

This repository contains proof-of-concept exploits for CVE-2020-16898, a Windows TCP/IP remote code execution vulnerability. The exploits leverage crafted IPv6 packets to trigger a stack overflow in the Windows TCP/IP stack, leading to a BSOD or potential RCE.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Rce
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10 (version 2004 and earlier)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Target's local link IPv6 address · Network connectivity to the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec STUB 2 stars
by initconf · poc
https://github.com/initconf/CVE-2020-16898-Bad-Neighbor

The repository contains only a minimal Makefile with a placeholder test target, lacking any functional exploit code or technical details related to CVE-2020-16898 (Bad Neighbor).

Classification
Stub 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Microsoft Windows TCP/IP Stack (CVE-2020-16898)
No auth needed
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER 2 stars
by Maliek · poc
https://github.com/Maliek/CVE-2020-16898_Check

This PowerShell script checks for interfaces vulnerable to CVE-2020-16898 by verifying if RA-Based DNS Config (RFC6106) is enabled on Windows 10 systems with a release ID greater than 1707. It does not exploit the vulnerability but scans for vulnerable configurations.

Classification
Scanner 90%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10 (versions after 1707)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · PowerShell execution privileges
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 1 stars
by Q1984 · poc
https://github.com/Q1984/CVE-2020-16898

This repository contains a proof-of-concept exploit for CVE-2020-16898, a vulnerability in Windows TCP/IP stack that allows an attacker to cause a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) via a specially crafted ICMPv6 packet. The exploit is a simple command-line tool that targets a specified IP address.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Microsoft Windows TCP/IP stack (versions 1709, 1803, 1809, 1903, 1909, 2004)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to the target system · Ability to send ICMPv6 packets to the target
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by aricooper · poc
https://github.com/aricooper/suricata-script

This repository contains a functional PoC for CVE-2020-16898, which exploits a vulnerability in the Windows IPv6 stack by sending malformed ICMPv6 Router Advertisement packets with invalid RDNSS option lengths. The PoC includes a Lua script for Suricata detection and a Python script to generate and send malformed packets.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Dos
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows IPv6 stack
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Network access to target · Target system with IPv6 enabled
devstral-2 · analyzed Jun 05, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec SCANNER
by CPO-EH · poc
https://github.com/CPO-EH/CVE-2020-16898_Checker

This PowerShell script checks for the presence of CVE-2020-16898 and CVE-2020-16899 vulnerabilities by examining IPv6 interfaces for the presence of the vulnerable '6106' setting. It does not exploit the vulnerability but scans for its presence.

Classification
Scanner 100%
Attack Type
Info Leak
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows systems with IPv6 interfaces
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to the target system's network interfaces
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC
by CPO-EH · poc
https://github.com/CPO-EH/CVE-2020-16898_Workaround

This PowerShell script mitigates CVE-2020-16898 by disabling IPv6 Router Advertisement-based DNS configuration on all local network interfaces. It is a workaround rather than an exploit, addressing the 'Bad Neighbor' vulnerability in Windows TCP/IP stack.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows TCP/IP stack (IPv6)
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local administrative access to execute PowerShell scripts
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WRITEUP
by esnet-security · poc
https://github.com/esnet-security/cve-2020-16898

This repository contains documentation and helper scripts for CVE-2020-16898, a vulnerability in Zeek (formerly Bro). The provided files include installation scripts, environment setup, and Sphinx documentation configuration, but no actual exploit code or proof-of-concept is present.

Classification
Writeup 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Zeek (formerly Bro)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Zeek installation · Python environment setup
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →

References (1)

Core 1
Core References

Scores

CVSS v3 8.8
EPSS 0.0969
EPSS Percentile 94.9%
Attack Vector ADJACENT_NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

Status published
Products (10)
microsoft/windows_10 1709
microsoft/windows_10 1803
microsoft/windows_10 1809
microsoft/windows_10 1903
microsoft/windows_10 1909
microsoft/windows_10 2004
microsoft/windows_server_2016 1903
microsoft/windows_server_2016 1909
microsoft/windows_server_2016 2004
microsoft/windows_server_2019
Published Oct 16, 2020
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026