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Vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-37040

High
Code Blocks 17.12 contains a local buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious file name with Unicode characters. Attackers can trigger the vu
CWE-120 — Weakness Type
Published: Jan 30, 2026  ·  Modified: Feb 28, 2026  ·  Source: NVD
CVSS v3
8.4
🔗 NVD Official
📄 Description (English)

Code Blocks 17.12 contains a local buffer overflow vulnerability that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by crafting a malicious file name with Unicode characters. Attackers can trigger the vulnerability by pasting a specially crafted payload into the file name field during project creation, potentially executing system commands like calc.exe.

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2020-37040 is a local buffer overflow vulnerability in Code Blocks 17.12 that allows arbitrary code execution through maliciously crafted Unicode filenames during project creation. With a CVSS score of 8.4, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to developers and organizations using Code Blocks for software development. While no public exploit is currently available, the vulnerability requires only local access and can be triggered through a simple file naming operation, making it a notable threat to development environments.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 24, 2026 13:55
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment
This vulnerability primarily impacts Saudi software development companies, government IT departments, and educational institutions using Code Blocks for development. High-risk sectors include: (1) Government agencies and NCA-regulated entities developing critical systems, (2) Banking and financial institutions with in-house development teams, (3) Telecommunications companies (STC, Mobily) with development operations, (4) Energy sector (ARAMCO) development environments, (5) Educational institutions and training centers. The local nature of the attack limits exposure to trusted development environments, but compromised developer machines could lead to supply chain attacks affecting downstream systems.
🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors
Software Development Government and Public Administration Banking and Financial Services Telecommunications Energy and Utilities Education and Training Healthcare IT Development
⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)
6.8
/ 10.0
🔧 Remediation Steps (English)
Immediate Actions:
1. Identify all Code Blocks 17.12 installations across development environments using asset management tools
2. Restrict file creation operations in Code Blocks to ASCII-only filenames through group policies where possible
3. Implement application whitelisting on development machines to prevent unauthorized code execution
4. Review recent project creation activities for suspicious Unicode filenames

Patching Guidance:
1. Upgrade Code Blocks to version 17.12 patch level or later (verify patch availability from official Code Blocks repository)
2. Test patches in isolated development environments before enterprise deployment
3. Prioritize patching for machines with elevated privileges or access to sensitive code repositories

Compensating Controls:
1. Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor Code Blocks process execution
2. Implement file integrity monitoring on development directories
3. Use sandboxed development environments for untrusted code review
4. Enable Windows Defender Exploit Guard on development machines
5. Restrict Code Blocks execution through AppLocker policies to authorized users only

Detection Rules:
1. Monitor for Code Blocks.exe spawning child processes (calc.exe, cmd.exe, powershell.exe)
2. Alert on file creation with mixed Unicode and ASCII characters in project directories
3. Track Code Blocks process memory access patterns for buffer overflow indicators
4. Monitor registry modifications initiated by Code Blocks process
🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)
الإجراءات الفورية:
1. تحديد جميع تثبيتات Code Blocks 17.12 عبر بيئات التطوير باستخدام أدوات إدارة الأصول
2. تقييد عمليات إنشاء الملفات في Code Blocks لأسماء ملفات ASCII فقط من خلال سياسات المجموعة
3. تنفيذ قائمة بيضاء للتطبيقات على أجهزة التطوير لمنع تنفيذ الأكواد غير المصرح بها
4. مراجعة أنشطة إنشاء المشاريع الأخيرة للبحث عن أسماء ملفات Unicode مريبة

إرشادات التصحيح:
1. ترقية Code Blocks إلى إصدار 17.12 أو أحدث (تحقق من توفر التصحيح من مستودع Code Blocks الرسمي)
2. اختبار التصحيحات في بيئات التطوير المعزولة قبل النشر على مستوى المؤسسة
3. إعطاء الأولوية لتصحيح الأجهزة ذات الامتيازات المرتفعة أو الوصول إلى مستودعات الأكواد الحساسة

الضوابط البديلة:
1. نشر حلول الكشف والاستجابة على نقاط النهاية (EDR) لمراقبة تنفيذ عمليات Code Blocks
2. تنفيذ مراقبة سلامة الملفات على دلائل التطوير
3. استخدام بيئات التطوير المعزولة لمراجعة الأكواد غير الموثوقة
4. تفعيل Windows Defender Exploit Guard على أجهزة التطوير
5. تقييد تنفيذ Code Blocks من خلال سياسات AppLocker للمستخدمين المصرح لهم فقط

قواعد الكشف:
1. مراقبة Code Blocks.exe لإنشاء عمليات فرعية (calc.exe, cmd.exe, powershell.exe)
2. تنبيهات عند إنشاء ملفات بأحرف Unicode مختلطة وASCII في دلائل المشاريع
3. تتبع أنماط وصول ذاكرة عملية Code Blocks للبحث عن مؤشرات تجاوز المخزن المؤقت
4. مراقبة تعديلات السجل التي تبدأ من عملية Code Blocks
📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping
🟢 NCA ECC 2024
ECC 2024 A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities ECC 2024 A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy ECC 2024 A.12.2.1 - Monitoring and logging of access to information
🔵 SAMA CSF
SAMA CSF ID.BE-1 - Asset Management SAMA CSF PR.DS-6 - Data is protected from unauthorized access SAMA CSF DE.CM-1 - The network is monitored to detect potential cybersecurity events
🟡 ISO 27001:2022
ISO 27001:2022 A.12.2.1 - Monitoring and logging ISO 27001:2022 A.14.2.1 - Secure development policy ISO 27001:2022 A.12.6.1 - Management of technical vulnerabilities
📊 CVSS Score
8.4
/ 10.0 — High
📊 CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Attack VectorL — Low / Local
Attack ComplexityL — Low / Local
Privileges RequiredN — None / Network
User InteractionN — None / Network
ScopeU — Unchanged
ConfidentialityH — High
IntegrityH — High
AvailabilityH — High
📋 Quick Facts
Severity High
CVSS Score8.4
CWECWE-120
EPSS0.01%
Exploit No
Patch ✓ Yes
Published 2026-01-30
Source Feed nvd
Views 5
🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score
6.8
/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk
Priority: HIGH
🏷️ Tags
CWE-120
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