CVE-2020-36167
9.3 · CRITICALOverview
CVE-2020-36167 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting veritas backup_exec. It was published on January 6, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.3 (CRITICAL).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.3, rated CRITICAL. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
An issue was discovered in the server in Veritas Backup Exec through 16.2, 20.6 before hotfix 298543, and 21.1 before hotfix 657517. On start-up, it loads the OpenSSL library from the Installation folder. This library in turn attempts to load the /usr/local/ssl/openssl.cnf configuration file, which may not exist. On Windows systems, this path could translate to <drive>:\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf. A low privileged user can create a :\usr\local\ssl\openssl.cnf configuration file to load a malicious OpenSSL engine, resulting in arbitrary code execution as SYSTEM when the service starts. This gives the attacker administrator access on the system, allowing the attacker (by default) to access all data, access all installed applications, etc. If the system is also an Active Directory domain controller, then this can affect the entire domain.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from veritas. Update backup_exec to the latest patched version. 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.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| veritas | backup_exec | >= 20.0, < 20.0.1188.2734 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-36167?
CVE-2020-36167 is a critical-severity vulnerability affecting veritas backup_exec. It was published on January 6, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.3 (CRITICAL).
How severe is CVE-2020-36167?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.3, rated CRITICAL. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2020-36167?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from veritas. Update backup_exec to the latest patched version. 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-2020-36167?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2020-36167 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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