CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2020-16273 — Arm Armv8-M Firmware security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.8

In Arm software implementing the Armv8-M processors (all versions), the stack selection mechanism could be influenced by a stack-underflow attack in v8-M TrustZone based processors. An attacker can cause a change to the stack pointer used by the Secure World from a non-secure application if the stack is not initialized. This vulnerability affects only the software that is based on Armv8-M processors with the Security Extension.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Published
2020-11-12
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
operating-system
Weaknesses
CWE-191

Affected products

  • arm / armv8-m_firmware

Matched remediation archetype

General vulnerability remediation

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Confirm the affected component, deployment paths, reachable interfaces, and enabled features from inventories and configuration, without probing production destructively.
  • Compare the advisory's affected conditions with the repository lockfiles, build manifests, artifacts, and runtime inventory.
  • Identify data sensitivity, trust boundaries, and privilege level for every confirmed affected deployment.

Remediate safely

  • Apply a vendor-supported fix or remove the affected component or feature; record the selected change and its source in the repository.
  • Update direct and transitive dependency locks, generated artifacts, deployment manifests, and asset inventories together.
  • Add a regression test for the documented unsafe condition using inert inputs and preserve rollback instructions.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.