CVE-2020-37179 Overview
CVE-2020-37179 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting APKF Product Key Finder version 2.5.8.0. The flaw resides in the application's handling of the Name field within the registration interface. An attacker who pastes an oversized string of approximately 1000 characters into this input field triggers an unhandled condition that crashes the application. The weakness is classified under CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input), indicating a classic boundary validation failure. Exploitation requires local access and user interaction, which limits the practical attack surface but still impacts software availability.
Critical Impact
A 1000-character payload pasted into the registration Name field causes APKF Product Key Finder 2.5.8.0 to crash, producing a local denial of service condition.
Affected Products
- APKF Product Key Finder 2.5.8.0
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-02-11 - CVE-2020-37179 published to NVD
- 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2020-37179
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability manifests when APKF Product Key Finder processes a long string supplied through the Name input on its registration form. The application does not enforce a length boundary on the data copied into its internal buffer. Pasting a payload of roughly 1000 characters exceeds the expected input size and forces the process to terminate. The result is a reproducible crash that interrupts execution and prevents legitimate use of the tool until it is restarted.
Root Cause
The underlying defect is improper input validation paired with a buffer copy operation that lacks size checking. [CWE-120] describes precisely this pattern, where unchecked string operations write past allocated memory. APKF Product Key Finder reads the user-supplied Name value and propagates it to a fixed-size internal buffer. Without length enforcement, the oversized input corrupts adjacent memory or triggers an unhandled exception, leading to immediate process termination.
Attack Vector
The attack requires local access and active user interaction. An attacker must induce a user to paste a crafted 1000-character string into the registration Name field, or perform the action directly on an unattended system. Network exploitation is not possible. The impact is limited to availability of the affected application; confidentiality and integrity remain intact. The vulnerability has no known public exploitation in the wild and is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. A proof-of-concept is available via Exploit-DB #47937 and the VulnCheck Advisory on DoS.
No verified exploit code is reproduced here. Refer to the linked advisories for technical detail on payload construction.
Detection Methods for CVE-2020-37179
Indicators of Compromise
- Unexpected termination of the apkf.exe (or equivalent) process on hosts running APKF Product Key Finder 2.5.8.0.
- Windows Application event log entries recording an application crash or access violation tied to the APKF Product Key Finder binary.
- Clipboard contents or process memory containing unusually long alphanumeric strings near the time of the crash.
Detection Strategies
- Monitor endpoint telemetry for repeated crashes of the APKF Product Key Finder process, which can indicate intentional triggering of the denial of service.
- Correlate crash events with recent user interaction on the registration window, including clipboard paste activity.
- Inventory endpoints for the vulnerable version (2.5.8.0) to scope exposure and prioritize remediation.
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Windows Application and Reliability event logs to a centralized log platform for crash trend analysis.
- Alert on multiple crashes of the same low-prevalence application within a short window on a single host.
- Track installation prevalence of APKF Product Key Finder across managed endpoints to maintain visibility on a low-value but vulnerable utility.
How to Mitigate CVE-2020-37179
Immediate Actions Required
- Identify endpoints running APKF Product Key Finder 2.5.8.0 and assess whether the application is required for business operations.
- Remove the application from systems where it is not actively needed, eliminating the vulnerable input surface.
- Restrict interactive access to systems where the tool is retained, since exploitation requires local user interaction.
Patch Information
No vendor patch is referenced in the available advisory data for CVE-2020-37179. Organizations should consult the VulnCheck Advisory on DoS and the vendor site at NSA Auditor Overview for updated release information. If no fixed version is available, treat uninstallation as the primary remediation.
Workarounds
- Uninstall APKF Product Key Finder 2.5.8.0 where the application is non-essential.
- Limit use of the registration Name field to short, expected values and avoid pasting untrusted content into the form.
- Apply application allowlisting policies to prevent execution of the vulnerable binary on systems that do not require it.
# Configuration example
# Windows: query installed instances of APKF Product Key Finder via WMIC
wmic product where "Name like '%%APKF Product Key Finder%%'" get Name,Version,InstallDate
# Windows: silent uninstall (replace ProductCode with value returned above)
msiexec /x {ProductCode} /qn
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
