CVE-2020-37205: RemShutdown DOS Vulnerability

CVE-2020-37205 Overview

CVE-2020-37205 is a denial of service vulnerability affecting RemShutdown version 2.9.0.0. The vulnerability exists due to a classic buffer overflow condition (CWE-120) in the application's registration functionality. Attackers can crash the application by overflowing the 'Name' registration field with an excessively long input string, specifically a 1000-character buffer payload.

Critical Impact

Local attackers with user interaction can cause application crashes by exploiting the buffer overflow in the registration name field, leading to denial of service conditions.

Affected Products

• RemShutdown 2.9.0.0

Discovery Timeline

• February 11, 2026 - CVE-2020-37205 published to NVD
• February 12, 2026 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2020-37205

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as a Buffer Overflow (CWE-120: Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input). The application fails to properly validate the length of user-supplied input in the 'Name' registration field before copying it to a fixed-size buffer. When an attacker supplies a string exceeding the expected buffer size, the application experiences memory corruption leading to an immediate crash.

The attack requires local access to the system and user interaction, as the malicious payload must be manually entered or pasted into the registration dialog. While the impact is limited to application availability (denial of service) without evidence of code execution, the vulnerability demonstrates poor input validation practices in the software's registration mechanism.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation in the registration name field handling. The application allocates a fixed-size buffer for the registration name but does not implement boundary checks when copying user-supplied data. When input exceeds the allocated buffer size (approximately 1000 characters triggers the overflow), the resulting memory corruption causes the application to crash. This is a classic example of CWE-120 where buffer copy operations proceed without verifying that the source data fits within the destination buffer.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local, requiring an attacker to have access to the system where RemShutdown is installed. The exploitation process involves:

1. Opening the RemShutdown application
2. Navigating to the registration dialog
3. Generating or copying a buffer payload of approximately 1000 characters
4. Pasting the payload into the 'Name' registration field
5. The application crashes due to buffer overflow

This attack requires user interaction to trigger the registration functionality and input the malicious payload. The simplicity of the attack makes it easily reproducible by anyone with local access to the application.

The vulnerability mechanism involves copying oversized input data into an undersized buffer in the registration name handling routine. When approximately 1000 characters are provided, the buffer boundaries are exceeded, corrupting adjacent memory and causing application instability. Technical details and a proof-of-concept are available in the Exploit-DB #47865 entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2020-37205

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes of the RemShutdown application, particularly during registration attempts
• Application error logs showing memory access violations or buffer overflow exceptions
• Crash dump files indicating memory corruption in the registration handling routines
• User reports of application instability when entering registration information

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for repeated RemShutdown application crashes using Windows Event Viewer Application logs
• Implement endpoint detection rules to flag applications receiving unusually large input strings in UI fields
• Deploy application crash monitoring to identify patterns consistent with buffer overflow exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable detailed application logging for RemShutdown if available
• Configure endpoint protection to monitor for memory corruption exceptions in desktop applications
• Review system stability reports for recurring application failures
• Consider deploying SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect anomalous application behavior patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2020-37205

Immediate Actions Required

• Evaluate the criticality of RemShutdown 2.9.0.0 in your environment and consider removing if non-essential
• Restrict access to systems running vulnerable versions of RemShutdown
• Monitor for application crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Review the VulnCheck Denial of Service Advisory for additional guidance

Patch Information

No vendor patch information is currently available in the CVE data. Organizations should monitor the NSA Auditor Tool website for potential updates or security advisories regarding RemShutdown. In the absence of an official patch, consider implementing the workarounds below or replacing the software with an alternative solution.

Workarounds

• Restrict local access to systems running RemShutdown to trusted users only
• Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized execution of RemShutdown
• Consider deploying alternative remote shutdown utilities that are actively maintained
• If registration functionality is not required, avoid using the registration feature entirely

Since no official mitigation configuration is provided, organizations should focus on access control and monitoring. Consider implementing SentinelOne endpoint protection to detect and respond to application crashes and anomalous behavior that may indicate exploitation attempts.