CVE-2020-17152 in Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations
Summary
by MITRE • 12/10/2020
, aka 'Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations (on-premises) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-17158.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/29/2025
This vulnerability affects Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations when deployed in on-premises environments, representing a critical remote code execution flaw that could allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to affected systems. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation within the application's web server components, specifically in how the system processes certain HTTP requests. Attackers can exploit this weakness by sending specially crafted requests that trigger a buffer overflow condition in the processing pipeline, enabling arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the affected application pool account. The flaw exists in the application's handling of specific data formats and parameters that are processed through the web interface, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited remotely without authentication. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a significant risk to enterprise environments where Dynamics 365 is deployed on-premises. The attack surface is extensive given that Dynamics 365 is commonly used for financial and operational business processes, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for organizations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a specific pattern of input manipulation that causes the web server to allocate insufficient memory for processing user-supplied data. When the application receives malformed requests containing oversized or specially constructed parameters, it fails to properly validate the input length before attempting to process the data within a fixed-size buffer. This misconfiguration creates a condition where an attacker can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially allowing code execution in the context of the web application. The exploitation process typically involves crafting HTTP requests with carefully constructed payloads that trigger the buffer overflow, often leveraging techniques such as return-oriented programming or direct code injection. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the application layer and can be executed from external networks, requiring no prior authentication or session establishment. This characteristic makes it a prime target for automated scanning tools and opportunistic attackers seeking to compromise enterprise systems. The flaw exists in the legacy codebase of the Dynamics 365 application and has persisted across multiple versions of the on-premises deployment, indicating a fundamental architectural issue that requires immediate attention.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise and data exfiltration. Organizations running on-premises deployments of Microsoft Dynamics 365 face severe business disruption risks, including financial data theft, operational system corruption, and potential regulatory compliance violations. The vulnerability's remote execution capability means that attackers can operate from any location with internet access, making traditional network perimeter defenses insufficient for protection. Financial operations systems are particularly at risk since they often contain sensitive data including customer information, transaction records, and proprietary business data that could be monetized on underground markets. The exploitation of this vulnerability could also serve as a stepping stone for further attacks within the enterprise network, as attackers typically use initial compromises to establish persistence and escalate privileges. The affected systems often operate with high-privilege accounts, potentially allowing attackers to access additional enterprise resources and databases beyond the initial compromised application. This vulnerability also impacts the organization's ability to maintain business continuity, as system compromise could disrupt critical financial and operational processes that depend on the Dynamics 365 platform.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security patches as soon as they become available, which address the input validation flaws that enable this exploitation. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit access to the Dynamics 365 application to only necessary personnel and systems, implementing principle of least privilege access controls. Web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for suspicious HTTP request patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, particularly focusing on unusual parameter lengths and malformed data formats. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify additional vulnerabilities within the on-premises deployment environment. The mitigation strategy should also include monitoring for indicators of compromise such as unusual network traffic patterns, unauthorized access attempts, and system log anomalies. Organizations should consider implementing additional layers of protection including code integrity checking, application whitelisting, and regular system audits to detect potential exploitation attempts. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to techniques such as T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), which represent the attack patterns commonly associated with remote code execution vulnerabilities in enterprise applications. The vulnerability also aligns with Microsoft's security recommendations for protecting enterprise applications and demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for on-premises deployments. Given the severity and potential impact of this vulnerability, organizations should prioritize its remediation and implement comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect any exploitation attempts.