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CVE-2016-20012

5.3 · MEDIUM

OpenSSH through 8.7 allows remote attackers, who have a suspicion that a certain combination of username and public key is known to an SSH server, to test whether this suspicion is correct.

Published Sep 15, 2021CWE-203EPSS 5.33%

Overview

CVE-2016-20012 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 15, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

OpenSSH through 8.7 allows remote attackers, who have a suspicion that a certain combination of username and public key is known to an SSH server, to test whether this suspicion is correct. This occurs because a challenge is sent only when that combination could be valid for a login session. NOTE: the vendor does not recognize user enumeration as a vulnerability for this product

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/d0fffc88c8fe90c1815c6f4097bc8cbcabc0f3dd/auth2-pubkey.c#L261-L265GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/270GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/270#issuecomment-920577097GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/270#issuecomment-943909185Refrushter.com/blog/public-ssh-keys/Refsecurity.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211014-0005/Refutcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/tech/SSHKeysAreInfoLeakRefwww.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2018/08/24/1GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/blob/d0fffc88c8fe90c1815c6f4097bc8cbcabc0f3dd/auth2-pubkey.c#L261-L265GitHubgithub.com/openssh/openssh-portable/pull/270

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-20012?

CVE-2016-20012 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 15, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2016-20012?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.3, rated MEDIUM. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2016-20012?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2016-20012?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2016-20012 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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